First Desktop Computer. ...Ever!

[Longy]

Hey all,

I've been gaming and programming on an old windows XP laptop (hooked up to an 21" monitor) for about 6 years now. I'm finally ready to build my very own desktop!

• Budget - The more economical the better. I'm not strapped for cash, but I don't want anything that will be overkill for my needs.
• Resolution - 1920x1800px
• Games / Settings Desired - I play WoW. I'd like to be able to play at high(er) settings without lag.
• Any other intensive software or special things you do (Frequent video encoding, 3D modeling, etc) - I use Microsoft Visual Studio (2010 and soon to be 2012) alot.
• Country - USA
• Parts that can be reused - None
• Do you need an OS? - Yes. And I've seen offers from Microsoft that if you buy a windows 7 pc in the near future, you get windows 8 for 15$. If possible, I'd like to take advantage of this.
• Do you need peripherals (e.g. monitor, mouse, keyboard, speakers, etc)? -No.

So, when looking for and building test builds, I often just pick the newest and most expensive parts, without really knowing exactly how they'll benefit me, or what will be a waste (i.e overkill) for what I need. I've done by best to educate myself, but as technology changes, and hardware sales come and go, I seem to be out of the loop. So, I'm turning to good ol' mmo-champ!

Like I said above. I'm an avid battleground healer in WOW, and an avid microsoft programmer. If I could get a computer together that can handle both of these things, that'd be great. I don't need SUPER MAX settings in WOW, just something that can handle a decent framerate at medium - to high. --I don't really play any other games.

Lastly, I plan on purchasing a SSD to put WOW, Visual Studio 2012 and an OS on.

*Edit. - If at all possible, I'd like to eventually set up this desktop to run 2 monitors. But this isn't a must by any means.

Thanks for all your help!

[vesseblah]

Two monitors is easy requirement, basically all gaming graphics cards can do it. SSD is definitely recommended for serious programming because it will speed up compilation times.

You should be fine with $800-1000 gaming computer, as long as you factor in the SSD (250GB model maybe, although 120GB could be enough*) and 16GB* of RAM. You can easily save money on graphics card and get something from $200 bracket instead of high end.

If money is not a big problem, for example the 950 gaming setup from here would fit your requirements well for the next five years with the SSD/RAM changes.

What comes to Windows license, you should be able to upgrade Win8 preview version straight to Win8 Pro also with the $40 discount. That could be the cheapest and most straightforward plan to sort that out.


* Depending on the size of your programming projects.

[Longy]

Thanks, vesseblah. I looked at the sample 950 build, and put together something that I think will do me good. Feel free to critique this to your heart's content. I'd love your feedback.

Sorry, I can't post links, as I'm not a very active poster. I've just been lurking for the past ...4 years. (How embarrassing!)

1) Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 Mid Tower Computer Case
2) Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520 Bronze 520W ATX12V V2.3
3) Ram: G.SKILL Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) - For the amount of programming I do (not for gaming!), is it worth 16GB?
4) Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Pro4 (I think the Sabertooth is so cool. But I can't justify paying ~230$ for something that I'm not sure I'm going to use all of it's features.
5) Processor: Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (I probably know the least about processors than any other computer component. I'm open for suggestions! And no, I don't plan on overclocking.)
6) Cooler: XIGMATEK Gaia SD1283 CPU Cooler
7) SSD: SAMSUNG 830 Series 128GB
8) Windows 7: (I'm hoping to get the deal where I can upgrade to windows 8 for 15$ with the purchase of this copy of windows 7.)

total so far is ~ 750$.

I don't need the graphics card right away. I have some work to get done before I can hop back into WoW. Is it worth waiting a few months before I buy a graphics card? Will be computer (and Visual Studio) be functional without one?
-------------------------
9) GPU: EVGA 01G-P3-1561-AR GeForce GTX 560 Ti ?? (Again. Open to suggestions. This doesn't have to be top of the line.)

Comments are in italics.

Tear this thing apart, and make me a more informed computer builder.

Thanks!

[vesseblah]

You can drop the CPU cooler if you aren't overclocking, a basic heatsink/fan comes in the box. It'll be bit noisier, but works just as well unless the computer would be in a place with very high ambient temperature.

Definitely no point paying extra for motherboard for your use.

If you're 100% sure you are never ever going to overclock, you can downgrade motherboard into something with B75 or H77 chipset and the processor to i5-3470 instead and save possibly over $50 there. The difference is that your current selection does allow overclocking, but the changes above does not.

Amount of RAM really depends on what you're programming. I remember reading somewhere that you can't even compile current Firefox without 16GB of RAM

You can buy the computer without any kind of graphics card to start with, as the i5-3xxx processors have decent graphics functionality built-in. It will be totally fine for any desktop work including programming. WoW on the other hand is another thing. With graphics settings low enough it's totally playable, but 25man raids for example might be impossible at settings above medium. Also using two monitors with the integrated graphics might not work that well.

When you eventually buy graphics card later, GTX560ti is not really recommended. It used to be great choice half year ago but AMD's Radeon 78xx series gives better value for money today.

[chaud]

Start with 8GB and see if you want to add two more sticks later. You could grab the Z75 version of that board if you are going to go with ASRock and save a bit more. You really should overclock though, it is very easy and provides a significant performance boost.

Those motherboards support the integrated GPU, so you could use it if you wanted. If you want to wait a few months, prices might go down even more. Depending on how long you want to wait, you could take a look during Black Friday sales and see if anything good pops up.

If you decide not to wait, pick up a 7850 and that should be reasonable enough for higher settings. (They also overclock very well!)