My first custom build PC

hopgop1

hopgop1

Posts: 167   +33
As this is my first custom build PC, I would like to confirm that these components are from the cheapest sources and are all compatible with each other.
I am a PC building noob and I am following a guide (http://www.pcmech.com/byopc/step-1-materials-required/) Is this guide up to date and usable?
I play source games and I want to be able to record sometimes and get at least 30 fps on most games, the graphics quality must be around med-high.
My components; please tell me if I can get it cheaper somewhere else, and if they aren't compatible what do I need instead? I am building a gaming rig as cheaply as possible without getting 4fps on every game like I do on my 1.8 GHz laptop with 3gb of ram...
Case: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Aerocool-Strike-X-Toolless-Tower-Gaming/dp/B00606NA0A/ref=sr_1_4?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1375030634&sr=1-4&keywords=pc cases
Price: £53
OS: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Microsoft-Windows-7-Home-Premium-Oem-64-Bit-SP1-Operating-System-64-Bit-/190862643411?_trksid=p3284.m263&_trkparms=algo=SIC&its=I&itu=UCI%2BIA%2BUA%2BFICS%2BUFI&otn=21&pmod=380651294248&ps=54
Price: £90
Motherboard: http://www.amazon.co.uk/P8Z77-V-Motherboard-CrossFireX-Intelligent-Processors/dp/B007KZQE7Q/ref=sr_1_2?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1375033864&sr=1-2&keywords=atx motherboard
Price: £85
CPU: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Intel-Graphics-BX80646I54570-Generation-Technology/dp/B00CV3E3WK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375034385&sr=8-1&keywords=Intel Core i5-4570
Price: £157
RAM: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-CML...rmance/dp/B008E3M4TU/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
Price: £50
PSU: http://www.ebuyer.com/520535-alpine-ii-600w-b-white-psu-with-120mm-blue-fan-alpine-ii-600w-blue
Price: £14
Keyboard and Mouse (I have a decent mouse (Razer DeathAdder 2013) so I just need a cheap keyboard) : http://www.amazon.co.uk/Octigen-JK-...99617&sr=8-9&keywords=keyboard#productDetails
Price: £5
Graphics Card: http://www.dabs.com/products/gigabyte-geforce-gtx-650-ti-1032mhz-1gb-pci-express-3-0-hdmi-8BP8.html?q=Nvidia GeForce GTX 650 Ti&src=16
Price: £105
Thermal paste for CPU: http://www.digitaldevicesonline.co.uk/cooler-master-thermal-grease.html
Price: £2
Monitor (I may not need a monitor I might be able to use an old one, but if someone can find a small monitor VERY cheaply it would be greatly appreciated!): http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/comput...050s-20-led-backlit-monitor-11925669-pdt.html
Price: £70
Hard Drive: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Western-Digital-250GB-7200RPM-Internal/dp/B00134A2M8/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1375101575&sr=1-1&keywords=250 gb hard drive
Price £24
DVD Drive: http://www.amazon.co.uk/LiteOn-IHAS120-04-AllWrite-Height-Internal/dp/B00B4SJZQW/ref=sr_1_6?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1375101823&sr=1-6&keywords=Internal DVD-RW
Price: £13
CPU Cooler: http://www.scan.co.uk/products/intel-reference-s1156-aluminum-copper-base-heat-sink-fan-oem
£4
Sound Card (I'm not too bothered about sound so I went for a cheap one but it needs to be able to play game sounds atleast to an OK standard) : http://www.ebuyer.com/48180-xenta-6-channel-pci-soundcard-l-8738-6c
Price: £4
Not including monitor it totals around £600, I need to get it cheaper and if I can I will get like a 3gb ram kit and wait till I have more cash and get the 8gb ram kit if I need to but I would mainly like to know if I can get my ideal cheaper else where and for things like the RAM I just want 8gb, tell me if I can get a cheaper 8gb RAM kit for example.

I appreciate this is a lot of things to go through but I really would appreciate and I heard the TechSpot community is the best around! :) and I'm sure you will exceed my expectations!
Note: I AM A COMPLETE NOOB, I may have made a huge mistake, so don't get angry, and please spare me too much technical language!
 
You can save a few bucks by adjusting the following:
  1. Change the case to a Corsair 200R
  2. You can save a ton of money by buying Windows 7 from Amazon.
  3. You need to get a different CPU that is compatible with that motherboard. Go with the i5 3570K.
  4. Get 2x4GB sticks of Corsair XMS3.
  5. You need to change the PSU. The PSU is the most important component and you cannot cheap out on it. We will determine the PSU you need after we decide on a GPU.
  6. Dont bother with that monitor. Save up for a 1080P monitor and wait for deals.
  7. The GPU is fine. But I need to know what games you will be playing and at what resolution. This card may be lacking if you play high end games.
  8. You do not need thermal paste. Just get a Hyper 212 Evo CPU cooler which comes with thermal paste.
  9. Get this HDD if you can: WD Caviar Blue 1TB. If you cannot fit it into the budget, lower the HDD to a WD Green, but performance will suffer.
  10. Ignore the sound card. It is not important since integrated sound is enough.

My suggestion is to build a PC based on AMD since they generally are more budget oriented. I need to know some info first. What games will you be playing and at what resolution (of the old monitor or monitor you will be using)?
 
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I'd go as far as omitting a aftermarket CPU cooler all together. That money can definitely be used elsewhere in this build IE GPU or PSU. If he's not overclocking a stock cooler will work just fine.

As for JC713's suggestion to switch to AMD I'd definitely second that. It will allow you more money to put towards your other components without sacrificing much performance.
 
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Blkfx1 said:
I'd go as far as omitting a aftermarket CPU cooler all together. That money can definitely be used elsewhere in this build IE GPU or PSU. If he's not overclocking a stock cooler will work just fine.

As for JC713's suggestion to switch to AMD I'd definitely second that. It will allow you more money to put towards your other components without sacrificing much performance.
Click to expand...

I think a AMD Athlon X4 740 will fit the build well. If he is not gonna overclock, this is a great locked CPU that will operate cooler than a FX.
 
Would definitely free up some room in the budget for something like a GTX 660
 
Blkfx1 said:
I'd go as far as omitting a aftermarket CPU cooler all together. That money can definitely be used elsewhere in this build IE GPU or PSU. If he's not overclocking a stock cooler will work just fine.

As for JC713's suggestion to switch to AMD I'd definitely second that. It will allow you more money to put towards your other components without sacrificing much performance.
Click to expand...

Noob question but will the CPU come with a stock cooler? If so will it be enough to stop me needing an aftermarket one?
 
JC713 said:
You can save a few bucks by adjusting the following:
  1. Change the case to a Corsair 200R
  2. You can save a ton of money by buying Windows 7 from Amazon.
  3. You need to get a different CPU that is compatible with that motherboard. Go with the i5 3570K.
  4. Get 2x4GB sticks of Corsair XMS3.
  5. You need to change the PSU. The PSU is the most important component and you cannot cheap out on it. We will determine the PSU you need after we decide on a GPU.
  6. Dont bother with that monitor. Save up for a 1080P monitor and wait for deals.
  7. The GPU is fine. But I need to know what games you will be playing and at what resolution. This card may be lacking if you play high end games.
  8. You do not need thermal paste. Just get a Hyper 212 Evo CPU cooler which comes with thermal paste.
  9. Get this HDD if you can: WD Caviar Blue 1TB. If you cannot fit it into the budget, lower the HDD to a WD Green, but performance will suffer.
  10. Ignore the sound card. It is not important since integrated sound is enough.

My suggestion is to build a PC based on AMD since they generally are more budget oriented. I need to know some info first. What games will you be playing and at what resolution (of the old monitor or monitor you will be using)?
Click to expand...

I am going to go with the Corsair 200R case, getting Windows 7 from Amazon, I'm getting the i5 3570K, getting the Corsair XMS3 RAM, I am sticking with the Intel based build as that's what I feel is best for me and also I am not into overclocking or anything like that, I like my computers stable.
I will wait to get that monitor and the old monitor I have spare is 640 x 480 with a 4:3 aspect ratio.
I am also getting the CPU cooler (IF I need it) you suggested and the HDD.
Also tend to play Source games like, HL2, Garry's Mod, CS:S, some RPG games and Arma 2 but with Arma I know that's a high end game so I am not too bothered about playing it at, just so long as it runs on minimum graphics settings.
Side note: I have plenty of time to decide what I am getting, I don't plan to order till October so you guys have plenty of time to help me :)
 
hopgop1 said:
Noob question but will the CPU come with a stock cooler? If so will it be enough to stop me needing an aftermarket one?
Click to expand...
All boxed CPU's come with a stock cooler. If you purchase an OEM CPU chances are it will not be bundled with a cooler. The stock cooler would be all you need, because you are not planning on over-clocking
 
Intel Build - I can chose a lower end CPU, but performance will suffer.
Intel.png
AMD Build - This is much more favorable since you have little room in the Intel build for a good GPU.
AMD.png
The verdict on which build to chose matters on what games you will play and at what resolution?
 
JC713 said:
Intel Build - I can chose a lower end CPU, but performance will suffer.
View attachment 76643
AMD Build - This is much more favorable since you have little room in the Intel build for a good GPU.
View attachment 76644
The verdict on which build to chose matters on what games you will play and at what resolution?
Click to expand...

Sorry, I'm a little confused, whats a GPU I thought that was the same as a graphics card?
Also why is Intel generally regarded better than AMD?
And these posts are taking forever to be approved by a moderator, I have 2 still waiting so the posts are kinda disjointed for me.
Also with the build I suggested first with the improved parts you suggested, would that be all I needed?
 
hopgop1 said:
Sorry, I'm a little confused, whats a GPU I thought that was the same as a graphics card?
Also why is Intel generally regarded better than AMD?
And these posts are taking forever to be approved by a moderator, I have 2 still waiting so the posts are kinda disjointed for me.
Also with the build I suggested first with the improved parts you suggested, would that be all I needed?
Click to expand...

GPU is the same thing as graphics card. AMD is not regarded better than Intel, but it is much more budget friendly. You do not want a i5 + a crappy GPU. A 6 core AMD will perform slightly less than the i5, but you can get a higher end GPU with the savings. The motherboard are also much cheaper on the AMD side vs Intel. My new build is much better.
 
But surely it would make more sense to go with the Intel and then when I have more money (e.g. After Christmas) buy a better GPU and the current one?
 
But surely it would make more sense to go with the Intel and then when I have more money (e.g. After Christmas) buy a better GPU and the current one?
Click to expand...
Which is your priority? You insisted you wanted to make a gaming machine. And, to do that with your budget as is, you're best bet would be going AMD. If you're not concerned with gaming until after christmas then by all means go with intel.
 
So you're saying you'll somehow have enough money to totally replace the GPU, and then attempt to sell it or something? Your financial planning needs some work, but this is not the forum for that.

Options:
1. Go Intel now, upgrade GPU later, wasting money.
2. Go AMD now, getting better performance now. Upgrade entire system a while later.
 
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St1ckM4n said:
So you're saying you'll somehow have enough money to totally replace the GPU, and then attempt to sell it or something? Your financial planning needs some work, but this is not the forum for that.

Options:
1. Go Intel now, upgrade GPU later, wasting money.
2. Go AMD now, getting better performance now. Upgrade entire system a while later.
Click to expand...

Hoah!

An AMD 8350 is actually a great choice if you play highly demanding games that take advantage of more than 1 core. With the PS4s release, games (like Planetside 2 in particular) will go from a single core optimized game, to a multi-core optimized game. This may favor AMD.
 
Thanks for the answers guys, also is the guide I plan to follow OK to use? (I linked it in the original post).
 
The 650Ti requires at least 400W to run, so you are fine, but you have very little breathing room.

I think you should get a GTX 650Ti boost + 550W XFX PSU.

What are all the parts you have decided on other than the GPU and PSU?
 
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