First time build

[Deleted]

Hi all,

I am looking to build a desktop PC for the first time. I have had my laptop for 5 years now and it is falling apart. My laptop was fairly decent and (barring some overheating problems) could play most games of the previous gen (albeit on low/medium settings). If it helps it was an Acer Aspire 5935g. Anyway, I am looking for some advice on a new build. Ideally I would like it to run next gen games for the foreseeable future (it needn't be on high/ultra settings).

I have spent the last week or two reading up on how to actually build it as well as the pieces that make up the jigsaw. (Special thanks to Marest for clearing up a lot of points in his sticky). But I am still unclear on a few points. Here is my basic information:

Budget: £1000
Resolution:
Games / Settings Desired: Next gen - Perhaps AC4:BF as a guideline? May resub to WoW on WoD but unsure as of yet.
Any other intensive software or special things you do (Frequent video encoding, 3D modeling, etc): N/a - Gaming and research only.
Country: England
Parts that can be reused: N/a
Do you need an OS?: Yes
Do you need peripherals: Need a Keyboard and Monitor included in the budget.

I had a go at making a set up on PCPartPicker and here it is: uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2bm6l (Not posted enough so cannot put the full link)

Please feel free to be critical! (Constructively is better ) I am very inexperienced at this and just trying to balance cost against performance. If you would recommend changes could you please explain why so I can better get to grips with how the technology works

A few questions:
- Is there any real performance disadvantages from opting for the smaller Micro ATX case?
- Would you recommend getting a sound card?
- I am assuming I need a wireless Network card to connect to my home network. Do you have any advice as to what to look out for when buying one as I have no idea what 'protocols' are.
- I have heard mixed advice on whether I should opt for a ready built motherboard/processor system and avoid the difficulty of laying down the thermal compound. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
- Do I need an extra 'case fan' or is the CPU cooling system enough?

If I am missing something please let me know! I am not an expert and pointing it out will be of great help. Thanks!


TLDR: Buying a new computer, £1000 budget (Including OS, Keyboard and Monitor)- Would like to play next gen games. What do you think of this rough build: uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2bm6l . Thanks

[chazus]

A couple notes, looking at the setup.

1) You have a 3770K. Do you need the i7? You can probably save money... not getting it.
2) You have a 3770K, but an H77 chipset board which does not support overclocking. One of these two need to go.
3) A better option, would be a 4670K + Z87 setup. Overclocking, newer tech. Probably almost the same price.
4) The Power supply is nice, but you can likely get a cheaper one that's just as good. Gold certification is largely a waste of money unless its on super sale.

Something like this: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2bpcP

[Deleted]

Thanks for the tips

I selected the i7 as I was scared of having to re-buy in a years time. Difference in price at the moment is about £50 so I thought it might be worth going a little future proof. However this could be completely misguided and any advice is appreciated.

I have never overclocked before - just read a beginner's guide and it seems fairly straight forward, will I need to improve the cooler or is the one I have selected suitable?

How do I find out which boards support overclocking on the 3770k?

Thanks for the advice on the gold cert Read a couple of articles saying not to skimp out on the power source so I thought I would play it safe.

Is there anyway I can compare performance between the 4670k + Z87 and 3770k and as of yet unidentified motherboards or is there just too many variables?

Thanks for putting up with me!

[chazus]

The i7 doesn't really 'future proof'. It does a slightly different thing that is useful IF you do stuff that utilizes it. Getting a 4WD car will not last longer than a 2WD vehicle, if all you do is drive it on flat roads to work, if that makes sense. Hyperthread is useful if you do encoding, streaming, or heavy video editing.

To be clear, the 4670K is the newer version of the 3570K. Just as the 4770K is the newer version of the 3770K. So the 3770K is simply the older version of the current gen i7.

Also to be clear... 3570K/3770K will overclock on any Z77/Z75 chipset. 4670K/4770K needs Z87 chipset (There is no Z85 yet, I don't think). If you were looking into the i3-4330, any cheap H81/H87 ought to work fine.

The comment on 'not skimping' on the PSU is very valid, but it is not quite clear sometimes what that means. "80+ Bronze" certification is usually a must (I'd even settle with simply "80+" depending on the situation. Anything above that, the cost starts to outstrip the energy efficiency savings. HOWEVER, 'quality' is usually directly tied to brand, too. Seasonic, XFX, Antec, FSP are all good brands with good quality parts. You can buy an expensive Gold PSU from a crap brand, and itll be a crap piece of hardware. Some shady manufacturers even fake their certification.

So the comment of 'don't skimp' means more "dont cheap out" rather than "buy expensive". They seem like similar statements, but aren't entirely >.>

[Deleted]

Thanks again Chazus! Really appreciate it - Will go for the i5 4670k and Z87 and re-examine the PSU.

I am keen on saving space (small room at the moment) - Is there any disadvantage to going for an ATX mini-tower over the ATX mid tower?

Cheers