1. #1

    Question Building a Computer! Need some assistance!

    Hey guys I'm trying to put together a computer build that would run WoW, SC2, D3, CS:S, and stuff like that. I'm at a budget of around $700, excluding peripherals. Would like to be playing at Ultra settings or at least good fps when raiding, pvping, etc. I plan to use Windows 7, 1 monitor, and a RAZOR mouse and keyboard. I'm very much a noob at this kind of stuff, but some help would be appreciated. I live in the U.S. btw.


    Here's some parts that I quickly looked at.
    1x Intel Core i3-3220 Ivy Bridge 3.3GHz LGA 1155 55W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2500
    1x ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
    1x Patriot Intel Extreme Master, Limited Edition 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
    1x ASUS ENGTX560 DCII OC/2DI/1GD5 GeForce GTX 560 (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
    1x PC Power and Cooling Silencer MK III 600W Modular 80PLUS Bronze Power Supply compatible with Intel Sandy Bridge Core i3 i5 i7 and AMD Phenom
    1x Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
    1x COOLER MASTER HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 Black SECC/ ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
    1x ASUS 24X DVD Burner

  2. #2
    Here's my stab:

    PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

    CPU: Intel Core i3-3220 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($109.99 @ NCIX US)
    Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LK ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($104.99 @ NCIX US)
    Memory: G.Skill Value Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($38.99 @ Newegg)
    Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ Outlet PC)
    Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card ($229.99 @ Newegg)
    Case: Rosewill CHALLENGER ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.99 @ Amazon)
    Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
    Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($22.98 @ Newegg)
    Total: $681.90
    (Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
    (Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-31 22:07 EST-0500)

    If your budget can afford it, another $100 and I would get the i5-3570K and you'd be set as far as a really good system goes for WoW.

    I don't know much about the PSU you got but that's one area that you want a reputable name (IMO) so I got you a XFX, which are a top-notch name along with the likes of Corsair & Seasonic. 7870 might be a bit too much money spent on a GPU so if you want, take a look at the 7850. Either ATI model will outperform the 650 you listed by at least 10%. MoBo was just picked kind out of random... an Extreme4 is just as good though I think a tad more expensive.

    /edit:

    I like this build even more.

    PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

    CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Amazon)
    Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LK ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($104.99 @ NCIX US)
    Memory: G.Skill Value Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($38.99 @ Newegg)
    Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ Outlet PC)
    Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($179.99 @ Amazon)
    Case: Rosewill CHALLENGER ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.99 @ Amazon)
    Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
    Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($22.98 @ Newegg)
    Total: $701.90
    (Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
    (Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-31 22:13 EST-0500)

    Looks like the video card is out of stock from Amazon so it'd be in the $740 range to obtain it from NewEgg.
    Last edited by theoffice; 2013-01-01 at 03:15 AM.

  3. #3
    Just a bit wary of the pairing with the i3 and a Z77 board - also the i5 3470.
    Z77 allows overclocking - which neither the i3 or the 3470 will do; so a cheaper H77 board might be an option here instead?
    Although, you might want to get a Z77 for if you think of upgrading to an unlocked IVB processor in the future? these boards won't support haswell so any upgrade will still be the current gen cpu's.

  4. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by Noctua View Post
    Just a bit wary of the pairing with the i3 and a Z77 board - also the i5 3470.
    Z77 allows overclocking - which neither the i3 or the 3470 will do; so a cheaper H77 board might be an option here instead?
    Although, you might want to get a Z77 for if you think of upgrading to an unlocked IVB processor in the future? these boards won't support haswell so any upgrade will still be the current gen cpu's.
    I don't plan to overclock because I'm afraid I'll destroy the computer.

    ---------- Post added 2013-01-01 at 02:07 AM ----------

    Quote Originally Posted by Asurakai View Post
    Looks decent but I would definitely scrap the 560 graphic card and go for the Radeon 7850 if you are shopping at newegg. the 7850 price dropped recently and it is only $20 more (assuming we are using the same site) for significantly better performance. It looks like you are into more of mid to mid-high end games. The 560 can handle mid-high end games on high to maxed settings but the 7850 is powerful enough to even max out the graphics on some high-end games.

    As for the processor, individual core power is usually more important for most games. Intel makes extremely powerful dual core processors so it's not a bad pick at all, it is actually a pretty good pick. When it comes to gaming and multitasking though, Intel quad cores are probably the best all around. Not only do they have powerful individual cores, but they have extra cores for heavier multitasking and, of course, it would also benefit the games that aren't limited to only 2 cores, which is likely going to be more common in the future. Overall, the graphic card is far more important than the processor in most cases, so if you are on a tight budget, either don't worry about it, or save up abit more.

    if you need any help on putting your PC together and maybe get a bit more info on graphic cards and such, check out FinitPC. I'd link it but linking sites is restricted for new members.
    I'll check the site out for future builds. Thx for the info mate.

    ---------- Post added 2013-01-01 at 02:11 AM ----------

    Quote Originally Posted by theoffice View Post

    I like this build even more.
    I'll check out the second build. Looks really good. Thx mate

  5. #5
    Threw this together in the wee hours this morning. It goes over your budget of $700 but not by to much.
    http://pcpartpicker.com/p/vhGw

    On the plus side if you get the GPU from Newegg you get a free copy of AC3.

  6. #6
    As for the Z77 vs H77 (or Z68) argument, he's right in that the H77 MoBos don't support OCing or SLI/CrossFire. The cost difference is about $20 (ASRock's is at $90 and Gigabyte's is at $95 on Amazon). To me, it makes more sense to just get a Z77 MoBo and save up for an unlocked processor 6-12 months down the road and upgrade. Take it from a rookie at building PCs and overclocking... OCing isn't hard as long as you aren't trying to break world records. Taking my 3570K from 3.4 to 4.2 was as simple as installing an aftermarket cooler and two clicks in the BIOS.

    But, anyway, here's a handy link about the difference between the three chipsets I referenced above: http://www.pugetsystems.com/blog/201...he-difference/

  7. #7
    In the second build I changed out the memory, storage, and drive. The new parts are the Corsair XMS3 8GB DDR3-1333 Memory, the 1TB WD hard drive, and a ASUS DVD writer. Still showing no compatibility issues, except for the motherboard and case. Something with the USB 3.0 ports or something. Not sure if it's a huge problem. Thanks for all the help guys very excited for this new build. Will definitely use the linked sites for future builds.

  8. #8
    All that means is that your MoBo is capable of handling USB 3.0 ports on the front of a case... and that the case you selected doesn't have any USB 3.0 ports on the front.

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