1. #1

    Building 1st computer need assistance

    Budget $1100 for computer + $350-400 for peripherals

    Resolution 24-26" 1920x1080

    Games/Settings desired: Wow/D3/GW2/LoL on high settings at least want to be able to play anything new that comes out over the next year or so on at least mid-high settings

    Country: USA

    Parts that can be reused: I was given an old case i may be able to use but its iffy

    OS Needed: Yes windows 7 (or 8 if its been proven to work well)

    Peripherals needed: Keyboard, Monitor and speakers Although i have a headset on often so i dont need awesome speakers.
    Possible build?

    Case: Big old server case i have or Fractal Design Arc Midi Black ($69)

    MoBo: ASRock Z77 Pro4 – $109.99

    CPU: Intel i5 3570k – $229.99

    RAM: G.Skill 1600MHz Ripjaws 2x4GB – $34.99

    GPU: XFX Radeon 7870 – $229.99

    HDD: WD Caviar Black 1TB – $109.99

    PSU: Seasonic S12II 650W – $58.99

    Heatsink: Xigmatek Gaia – $19.99

    I took this from Marest's sample builds and used the 870 since I know its missing things (not sure what all im missing help please) so i have some wiggle room and still stay under budget. He posted that guide almost a year ago but the parts have recent comments so i figure they are still good to use. I have 0 knowledge in this and don't even really know how to research this as alot of the info on the hardware pages doesn't make sense to me. Consider this a first draft. Im not looking to shop until black friday/cyber monday so i can hopefully hit some sales so I have time to learn and tweak my build.
    Thank you in advance.
    Last edited by Threndsa; 2012-11-06 at 08:49 AM. Reason: reformatted

  2. #2
    Epic! Idrinkwhiterussians's Avatar
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    I would first like to point you to Marest's Sample Builds. There is a good collection at different price points.

    Secondly, you should also read the Important Build Help sticky.

    And finally, are there any accessories you are able to reuse? If there are, that will save you some $ to put towards the tower.

    Please follow the directions in the stickies so we can help you out a bit more


    Edit: Forgot the most important sticky to link... Read this first!
    Quote Originally Posted by Cyanotical View Post
    anyone want doughnuts? i hear there is a great shop in Vancouver

  3. #3
    Edit: Reformated the post to follow guidelines.

  4. #4
    Legendary! llDemonll's Avatar
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    switch the PSU to 650W and the video card to 7950

    other than that, looks good
    "I'm glad you play better than you read/post on forums." -Ninety
    BF3 Profile | Steam Profile | Assemble a Computer in 9.75 Steps! | Video Rendering Done Right

  5. #5
    Deleted
    Check out maximumPC Dot COM under blueprints, there baseline comp for 1300 would do a fine job on those games...


    If you wanna save a little, Drop down to the 2 TB Seagate and forget the SSD drive, Should have you at that $1100 Mark you want. I would also ad a sound card, a decent one can be added for less than 50 bucks

    All the parts are available from Newegg

  6. #6
    I noticed that the ASRock Z77 Pro4 had a larger percentage of negative reviews than the other parts 20% at 1 egg. Is there another in the same price range that would work with these other parts?

  7. #7
    Epic! Idrinkwhiterussians's Avatar
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    Here is a list of parts that I would go with (7950 added, you could switch to a different GPU):

    PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

    CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($169.99 @ Microcenter)
    CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($80.77 @ Amazon)
    Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($114.99 @ Newegg)
    Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($41.99 @ Newegg)
    Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.93 @ Amazon)
    Storage: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.99 @ Microcenter)
    Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($299.99 @ Amazon)
    Case: BitFenix Shinobi Window ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
    Power Supply: SeaSonic 650W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)
    Monitor: Dell U2312HM 23.0" Monitor ($245.41 @ Mac Connection)
    Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
    Keyboard: Microsoft SIDEWINDER X4 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($49.99 @ Newegg)
    Mouse: Corsair CH-9000001-NA Wired Laser Mouse ($59.99 @ Newegg)
    Total: $1498.01
    (Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

    1. The Pro4 isn't bad, but I put the Extreme4 in for you (it came to $100 with the $15 discount package (bundled with W7) from Newegg))
    2. 3570k is a great choice.
    3. I beefed up the heatsink a bit. The D14 is massive, but cools extremely well.
    4. I put low profile RAM in for you. That will help facilitate the ease of installing the heatsink.
    5. With your budget, there is no reason to skim off an SSD. The Crucial M4 is a good drive at a great price. You could switch the HDD to a blue or green to save a bit of money as it would be used for storage.
    6. The 7950 could be changed to a few other GPUs and stay in your budget. 7950 is the tops I would go with.
    7. The BitFenix case I have listed is decent, but the one you chose (the Fractal Midi) is great also. It comes down to preference there.
    8. The PSU I have in here for you is a great bargain at $99. Gold certified with fully modular cables. Win/win.
    9. I just added a mouse/keyboard/monitor that are all quite nice. You can make changes here, but these are really nice pieces for the money. Again, the mouse and keyboard are preference oriented, so you should decide on those.

    That all being said, your build is solid, and would last a good while. I just thought to squeeze as much as I could out of your budget, though it is a smidge over with the build I posted here.


    Edit: It seems the price above was taken from Microcenter, and that is in store only. If you have one near you that will apply, as that will also give you a $50 package discount with a MB. (You have to buy them in store to get the discount, you cannot order them online) If not, the lowest price for the CPU is $219.
    Last edited by Idrinkwhiterussians; 2012-11-06 at 06:44 PM.
    Quote Originally Posted by Cyanotical View Post
    anyone want doughnuts? i hear there is a great shop in Vancouver

  8. #8
    PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/mKAC
    Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/mKAC/by_merchant/
    Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/mKAC/benchmarks/

    CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($169.99 @ Microcenter)
    CPU Cooler: Xigmatek GAIA SD1283 56.3 CFM CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ Amazon)
    Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($114.99 @ Newegg)
    Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($41.99 @ Newegg)
    Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.93 @ NCIX US)
    Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card ($209.99 @ Newegg)
    Case: Fractal Design Arc Midi Tower ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Newegg)
    Power Supply: SeaSonic 650W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)
    Monitor: Acer G245HQ Abmid 23.6" Monitor ($159.99 @ Newegg)
    Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
    Keyboard: Microsoft SIDEWINDER X4 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($49.99 @ Newegg)
    Total: $1111.83
    (Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

    Took bits and pieces of everything to make a slightly cheaper build as i was told i should lower by budget a little by a concerned citizen (aka my wife) That website was amazing russian!!!

  9. #9
    Epic! Idrinkwhiterussians's Avatar
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    Looks good to me!

    Let us know how the build goes after it is all together!
    Quote Originally Posted by Cyanotical View Post
    anyone want doughnuts? i hear there is a great shop in Vancouver

  10. #10
    I will Do you think any of this stuff will be on sale enough to warrant waiting for black friday/cyber monday or should i just go for it now

  11. #11
    Epic! Idrinkwhiterussians's Avatar
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    You might want to look at other options for the 7870. MSi, Gigabyte and Asus are all good alternatives. (After market coolers are quite good between any of these really)

    The PSU is a steal at 99, so I would probably not wait on that one.

    I think the only other thing I would POSSIBLY wait for is the monitor. It seems that there are crazy deals on them for black friday/cyber monday
    Quote Originally Posted by Cyanotical View Post
    anyone want doughnuts? i hear there is a great shop in Vancouver

  12. #12
    Posting from my new computer Thanks to everyone who helped me with parts! Installation took a little bit longer than it probably should have since I had no idea what I was going but otherwise went smoothly. The computer is running great and games look wonderful. I didn't realize how far behind the curve my laptop was till now. Now if you will excuse me I have a steam library to download. Be back in a week or so. :P

    p.s The fractal case was sold out so I got the Shinobi Window....im glad I did I really like it.

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