PC build

[Vaidas B]

Hey guys, this is my second thread, and now I pretty much have a general idea of what I want and/or need. So this is what I've got so far. I'm running on a budget, so yeah, there's that.

Case - Thermaltake Commander MS-I (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133190) I like this one because there's a lot of mesh and ventilation grids on this one, so cooling is not really an issue. Thermaltake makes a lot of different pieces of hardware to deal with PC heat, so I guess this is a reliable pick. (The little see-through bit looks pretty good as well). I chose a mid-sized case because the mini just wouldn't fit anything I wanted, and a full sized tower is just an overkill.

Motherboard - a fairly good motherboard (for my budget). I like the fact that it has four RAM slots and can handle 8gb of ram (honestly, I don't think I'd need more, at least not for the next few years). It supports two USB 3.0 plugs as well, so it's not that bad.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157305

CPU - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...bb3r-_-Processors+-+Desktops-_-AMD-_-19103996 This one has been offered to me by Leeky, it looks fairly nice and I can upgrade it in the future.https://www.techspot.com/community/members/leeky.254713/

PSU - http://www.ocztechnology.com/ocz-zs-series-550w-750w-power-supply.html
I don't really know if this will be enough so any tips would be great.

RAM - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145200
I chose 2x2gb ram over one stick because I'm a bit of a sceptic and don't quite trust it. I can always add more.

HDD - No idea. I guess something around 300 GB would be enough, I use multiple external drives so there's no need for an oversized drive.

VGA - also no idea. I'm running on a certain budget so I can't go with stuff that's too expensive. Something that can run DX11 would be nice tho.

So the overall cost so far (without the VGA and HDD) is around 400 USD. I don't really want it to go too high cause I'm just a student and quite frankly, I don't want to spend a whole lot of money on my first build. I have not yet bought any of these parts, so we can make changes.

Thanks.

I seem to have forgotten a couple of details (and can't find the "Edit" key).
I have all the external components (monitor, sound system, etc) so I don't need that.
Hmm, I'll probably be using it for gaming, video editing and rendering, graphical design and some more gaming.
I live in Europe, Lithuania, so sites like newegg won't do for me (I still use it for price reference). Buying online is not really a problem unless the seller does not sell outside of the US.
My budget, that's a hard question, right now the build costs around 400USD, even without some components, I guess something around 600USD would be okay.

 

[Route44]

What games do you want to play?

 

[Vaidas B]

Whatever comes to mind, mostly MMORPG's though.
I've talked to a few buddies and come up with this set up.


The case, this is a pretty good looking mid sized tower. The Thermaltake Commander MS-I. Looks awesome, has a decent number of vents and mesh parts. The little see-through window on the side is also goes easy on the eyes. I'm going with this purely for the looks and ventilation options.
Newegg.com - Thermaltake Commander MS-I ID VN400A1W2N Black SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

The motherboard. Still going with the ASRock 970DE3/U3S3 as it's fairly cheap and I'm getting the most out of my cash.

Ram CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB). The reason to go with 2x2 was to better handle loads and heat issues (or so I was told). The motherboard has four slots, so I can easily upgrade and add more ram if needed.
Newegg.com - CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMX4GX3M2A1600C8

Processor AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb. I don't know why I vent with this one. I generally know a few things about tech, but not about CPU's, so this is kind of random. But hey, the pricing is good and it doesn't look half bad.
Newegg.com - AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ965FBGMBOX I'd thank TheDarkness (SC2) twice if I could, as s/he advised me to use this, as did a few other people.

PSU - I have no idea at this point. I'll probably go with something by OCZ technology or Corsair. My best pick would be this one Newegg.com - CORSAIR Builder Series CX600 V2 600W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply

VGA - Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity (100315L I don't know, this seems to be everything I need and it fits within the frames of my budget.

HDD - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...m1402X558040Xe99bcc31ea0907ada28b4b0eebf7d249

 

[Route44]

First, the 6850 should do you fine. I built my brother-in-law a system a little over two years ago with a HIS 6850 and he played Skyrim at high resolution. Sapphire makes good cards; I am running their 6950 in my new build.

The processor is a good one. Yes, it is AMD's previous generation but, again, I installed a Phenom II 1055 in my BILaw's system and every game he runs is good to go.

The hard drive is fine.

Though this is a little more consider this board: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128458 (this is a micro board) or http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128521 But go with which you are comfortable.

Corsair makes great power supplies.

As for the case, for the same price consider this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042

All in all as long as you don't need the latest and greatest this looks like a very solid system for your budget. Please keep us updated.

 

[Vaidas B]

Thanks for the reply. Let's talk about the case first, I'm probably going to to with the Thermaltake Commander, as I said, purely for the looks. Though after I gave it more thought, I would like the USB's, the audio jacks and buttons to be positioned on the top of the PC. As the PC will be placed under my desk, this would make more sense.

The motherboard, I can't really see the difference between the two, other than price (not ganna go with the mini atx, so I'm not even counting that).

CPU, not a lot of comments on that, a modular CPU would be great, but I guess I can always stuff the cables I don't need behind the motherboard support plate (or whatever that area is called).

I have a question about ram.
Do the sticks have to be the same size and model? For example, if I install 2x2gb ram and want to upgrade to say 12GB, can I add 2x4gb ram (in the two remaining slots) and have that total?

 

[xcylent]

CPU, not a lot of comments on that, a modular CPU would be great, but I guess I can always stuff the cables I don't need behind the motherboard support plate (or whatever that area is called).

I think you mean PSU, not CPU
and it's called a motherboard tray
Good luck with your build!

 

[Vaidas B]

Oh, yeah, my bad (that's what happens when you type stuff in the middle of the night).