First time builder

[Gereorth666]

So I made a thread before, but that was about asking advice for a prebuilt PC. All the replies made me rethink my choise and I decided to go build my own, for once. But! This is where you all come in.. I have no idea what fits well together and what not.
I've already recieved some helpful replies, but 'The more, the merrier'.

So, let's start off with my checklist of things I should list here:

Budget: It's probably the most vital thing about building one, and I want to have enough cash to spend on it and yet not overdo it.. So I went for the budget of €2000,-

Resolution: The usual 1920 x 1080

Games/Settings Desired: So the games I often play are: SWTOR, Rift, GW2, WoW, Dishonored, BF3 and all a whole lot more. I'd like to run the newest game as high as possible. If my MMO's can run at the highest settings, I am already pleased. I spend most of my time with those anyway.

Any other intensive software or special things you do: Ah, yes I often find myself 3D modeling. I use Zbrush and 3DS Max.

Country: I'm a residential from The Netherlands.

Parts that can be reused: I will be starting all the way from scratch


So now I got that covered, I will list the things I already found myself and some are given to me.

- What I have so far -

Case: Coolermaster HAF 922 - € 89,50
Motherboard and Processor: Upgrade Kit GigaByte GA-Z77X-D3H/i5-3570K/8GB Corsair Vengeance - € 369,-
HDD: Western Digital Black 2TB 7200rpm 64MB SATA3 - € 149,95
DVD-reader: LG GH24NS90 (not very vital to list I think, but doing anyway) - € 22,95
Graphics Card: PCI Express GeForce GTX 670 2GB Msi - € 379,95
RAM: GB DDR3-1600 / PC3-12800 KIT Kingston HyperX (2 modules) - € 64,95
Power Module: Corsair 1000 Watt 24 pinns CMPSU-1000HXEU Modular - € 164,95
Total: €1241,25

So I am not near my budget yet. Which is good, I asume. For both reasons, and mainly that is something needs to be added it could be easily done and fit the budget.
Is this decent? Can I reach my goal with this setup? What else should've been changed?

---------------
OLD THREAD: http://www.mmo-champion.com/threads/...he-specs/page2

[n0cturnal]

May I ask why you are looking at getting a 1000W PSU?

Also with you requirements and budget you should definitely have a look at some of the better IPS monitors on the market.

You seem to have a double setup of RAM.

[Deleted]

In this price you certainly want an SSD as your boot, 240GB i would think. With the budget and you said 3d modeling i would think an I7 (3930 maybe) Would be a better choice but i am sure someone will chime in here and verify or tell me i am an idiot... Also don't forget operating system.

[n0cturnal]

With the budget and you said 3d modeling i would think an I7 (3930 maybe) Would be a better choice but i am sure someone will chime in here and verify or tell me i am an idiot... Also don't forget operating system.

I would say that you need to use it professionally to justify spending €300 extra on a CPU.

[Deleted]

As far as I can tell, this is basically the setup you posted in the first post with a few tweaks. Consider it a baseline to start working off of. Don't jump the gun and order this as is!

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($31.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.00 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($67.99 @ Microcenter)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($156.53 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($364.99 @ Microcenter)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 922 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($101.97 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($74.64 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS90 DVD/CD Writer ($26.37 @ Compuvest)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1263.44
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-02-25 08:05 EST-0500)

Removed one set of RAM, as you had it listed twice. (Comes bundled with your cpu/mobo pack) - Btw, with the CPU cooler, you probably want Low Profile ram. I'm not sure how to easily see that on pcpartpicker, so I'm sure someone can correct this build with low profile ram added.
Added an OS.
Added a SSD disk. This will improve loading times insanely. On a budget like yours, you just can't go without an SSD.
Changed power supply. This should be plenty for your build. The 1000W was a bit overkill.

---

Now for the fun stuff: I'm unsure if an AMD or Nvidia card would better suit your gaming needs. Some games prefer a certain side. I'm sure someone can give you a good recommendation based on the games you listed.

Other than that, do you need peripherals? Mouse, keyboard, speakers, monitor, etcetera.

Lastly, to try and answer your last question in your old thread: Overclocking basically entails pushing your chip past the specs 'recommended' by the manufacturer. This sounds scarier than it has to be. It's been dumbed down a lot, and can (on a normal level) be done by regular guys like you and me. Especially in CPU-heavy games, like any MMO on the market atm and especially wow, it will give great performance boosts. (I've read numbers varying from 10% to 30% gain)

The components in your setup, your cpu and motherboard, both support overclocking. With your budget... there's really no reason not to prepare for overclocking in the future.

[n0cturnal]

Now for the fun stuff: I'm unsure if an AMD or Nvidia card would better suit your gaming needs. Some games prefer a certain side. I'm sure someone can give you a good recommendation based on the games you listed.

3DS Max has great support for CUDA hardware acceleration so in this case a Nvidia GPU is the preferred choice.

[Deleted]

3DS Max has great support for CUDA hardware acceleration so in this case a Nvidia GPU is the preferred choice.

Would you recommend him the (MSI) GTX670 that's listed? Or perhaps a different card?

[n0cturnal]

Would you recommend him the (MSI) GTX670 that's listed? Or perhaps a different card?

It depends on how he wants to spend his budget, me personally would probably go for GTX 670 since it is a pretty good card and then spend a decent size of the budget on good peripherals. €300 monitor, €100 on a mechanical keyboard and €40-70 on a mouse and mouse pad. This still leaves €1500 on the rest of the computer which is plenty.

[Gereorth666]

"As far as I can tell, this is basically the setup you posted in the first post with a few tweaks. Consider it a baseline to start working off of. Don't jump the gun and order this as is! "

That is true, I thought I'd just share what I had and was recommended already.


"Added a SSD disk. This will improve loading times insanely. On a budget like yours, you just can't go without an SSD."

What is it that makes the SSD so much better?


"Changed power supply. This should be plenty for your build. The 1000W was a bit overkill."

Ah, yeah, I didn't realise having so much would be too much. Simple mistake, I guess?


"Other than that, do you need peripherals? Mouse, keyboard, speakers, monitor, etcetera. "

No, I don't need any of those. I got those and decent ones aswell. (Thought I'd not list them as I did not need them)

[Deleted]

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($31.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.00 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($67.99 @ Microcenter)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($156.53 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($364.99 @ Microcenter)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 922 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($101.97 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($74.64 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS90 DVD/CD Writer ($26.37 @ Compuvest)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1263.44
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-02-25 08:05 EST-0500)

With the budget of 2000€, I'd go for an i7-3770k, simply because he wants to run the newest games at highest settings & does modelling. I'm not sure what sort of a sound card the Gigabyte m/b has, but I'd go for AsRock Z77 Extreme4 over anything. For the SSD-slot, always choose 840 Pro, as the 840 non-pro lacks some very useful tools. Again, we're talking about a "top gaming" computer, so rather choose the best possible GPU (680/7970).

These are from www.hardwareversand.de, which ships for <40€ to the Netherlands. I also added the mounting of the components (Zusammenbau, 20€) so you don't need to worry of crashing or damaging this expensive build :-)

[Deleted]

@ Gouca: Having money doesn't equal having to spend the entire budget in my mind.

The i7 I would only recommend if he gets a massive benefit from it with 3D modelling in mind. An i7 3770k simply does not perform that much better than an i5 3570k in games, solely because games hardly use the four cores as it is. Adding hyperthreading to that will not improve game experience at all, especially in mmo's.

You're probably right as far as the SSD goes, but for all the other changes you suggested... in my opinion it comes down to "I want to do chores X and Y, and need rig Z to support that" vs "I have 2000 euros. Let's spend it all!"

---------- Post added 2013-02-25 at 03:10 PM ----------

What is it that makes the SSD so much better?

Insanely faster loading times. You'll only want to put your OS and software/games that you frequently use on there (hence the relatively small size). They'll load so, so, so much faster. It's impossible to put it into words. It's a massive quality of life improvement. (Having your computer boot in a few seconds never gets old)

[Gereorth666]

Insanely faster loading times. You'll only want to put your OS and software/games that you frequently use on there (hence the relatively small size). They'll load so, so, so much faster. It's impossible to put it into words. It's a massive quality of life improvement. (Having your computer boot in a few seconds never gets old)

So in the hardwareoutlet they have a SSD for 500gb.. Should I take that one? To have most of the stuff covered?
It's €360,-

[Deleted]

@ Gouca: Having money doesn't equal having to spend the entire budget in my mind. "I have 2000 euros. Let's spend it all!"

His budget was 2000€, my suggestion would cost roughly 1500€. I don't see your point.
Edit: Any sort of modelling in mind, also add 16 Gb of RAM.

Link: i7-3770k vs. i5-3570k

[Deleted]

So in the hardwareoutlet they have a SSD for 500gb.. Should I take that one? To have most of the stuff covered?
It's €360,-

got any more details like brand/what kind of series ssd it is? (full name also works)
also would you mind to order from different (web)shops or all from the same place for convience warranty wise?

[Deleted]

His budget was 2000€, my suggestion would cost roughly 1500€. I don't see your point.
Edit: Any sort of modelling in mind, also add 16 Gb of RAM.

Link: i7-3770k vs. i5-3570k

I see you completely missed my point and took personal offense. What I meant was that a budget doesn't necessarily have to be used up completely. If there's valid arguments for maxing out a budget (which we consistently see on 500-1000$ budgets) it's fine to suggest it. I just don't see how 2000 euros would need to be maxed on this rig. I wasn't saying you literally used up 2k....

If the OP does enough modelling to warrant spending about 100 euro's more on the CPU, I'd say go for it. However, my opinion based on the first post is that this is a gaming rig first, modelling rig second. If I'm mistaken, and you (OP) do plenty of modelling to make these increased times worthwhile, go for it.

So in the hardwareoutlet they have a SSD for 500gb.. Should I take that one? To have most of the stuff covered?
It's €360,-

Only your heaviest software (OS, 3ds max, photoshop, etc) and any games you frequently play (ie: 1+ times a week) should be put on the SSD. For me personally, that would make 500gb a bit much. If you have loads of games and heavy software suites that you regularly use, it might be worthwhile. All other things get put on the normal HDD. (Any other software, videos, music, any large files that you store)

By the way, SSD disks have varying performances within their own segment. The ones that are generally recommended are: Crucial M4 or the Samsung 840 Pro. Those come in different sizes. Can you link us the 500gb version?

[Gereorth666]

If the OP does enough modelling to warrant spending about 100 euro's more on the CPU, I'd say go for it. However, my opinion based on the first post is that this is a gaming rig first, modelling rig second. If I'm mistaken, and you (OP) do plenty of modelling to make these increased times worthwhile, go for it.

Gaming comes in the first place and Modelling in the second.

got any more details like brand/what kind of series ssd it is? (full name also works)
also would you mind to order from different (web)shops or all from the same place for convience warranty wise?

http://www.hardwareoutlet.nl/product...-bracket).aspx
I would prefer to buy all from the same place, but if you guys recommend it to buy parts from different stores I would do that aswell.

[n0cturnal]

http://www.hardwareoutlet.nl/product...-bracket).aspx
I would prefer to buy all from the same place, but if you guys recommend it to buy parts from different stores I would do that aswell.

Much cheaper from alternate.nl http://www.alternate.nl/html/product.../?event=search

[Deleted]

i personally use alternate due to living very close to their store in case of RMA. (also they got damm good service incase something goes wrong, they are not the cheapest to compete with prices but on a full rig paying 50-100 euro more to have some peace of mind and everything at one place is worth it imo)
ill make a list with alternate for now, also seems they got sale on a 3770k package but also on a seperate 3570k + Z77 mobo. (both options are solid choices considering the budget)


ALTERNATE Upgrade Kit Asus SABERTOOTH Z77/i7-3770K/8GB
Moederbord, CPU, Geheugen
Direct leverbaar
€ 539,-*
€ 539,-*
Corsair Hydro Series H100i
Corsair Link
Direct leverbaar
€ 99,90*
€ 99,90*
Corsair Vengeance C70

Direct leverbaar
€ 119,90*
€ 119,90*
MSI N680GTX Lightning
Retail, 2x DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort, SLI
Leverbaar binnen 2 werkdagen
€ 499,-*
€ 499,-*
OCZ VTR1-25SAT3-256G
SATA 600, Vector Series, MLC, TRIM
Direct leverbaar
€ 209,90*
€ 209,90*
Western Digital WD30EZRX
SATA 600, Green, Advanced Format
Direct leverbaar
€ 114,90*
€ 114,90*
Corsair AX760
6 PCIe, Full Kabel-Management
Direct leverbaar
€ 142,90*
€ 142,90*
€ 1.725,50* van € 14,94**
Totaalprijs Bijkomende verzendkosten
€ 1.740,44** € 302,06

first option, case is personal choice what i'd get but can be swapped to a HAF 922 easy. (this is expensive setup with 3770k and luxury mobo)
wasn't certain if a monitor/OS needs to be included aswell.

[stellvia]

If he will spend a decent amount of time rendering things, go with Cas7 instead of Cas9 for the RAM then. The 3570K vs 3770K ... I guess it depends on just how much he plans to do 3d modeling.

[Deleted]

If he will spend a decent amount of time rendering things, go with Cas7 instead of Cas9 for the RAM then. The 3570K vs 3770K ... I guess it depends on just how much he plans to do 3d modeling.

primary function of the rig is gaming , ram speeds make no difference there. (maybe a few +-1%)
tossed in the i7 due to budget having the space for it and it's actually pretty good to have if rendering happens on a regular basis.