Building a computer

[Grauniad]

Quick looks, I'd save money by getting the i5-4760 instead of the +$100 for the i7. I'd not get a Gigabyte motherboard. The same combo deals are available on ASRock  and Asus motherboards - That may just be my preference, but some guy I know who builds loads of PCs agrees with me. You linked a $770 graphics card, not the $360 version you have in your list. I thought the card you had in the budget build was pretty awesome. Monitors, I'd never buy a 1920x1080 monitor, but that's just me, our family PC has one and it's convenient when I link that to the TV to watch movies and shows.  Monitors are a whole different kettle of fish. Can write books just about those, but the one you listed is probably as good as any of 10 in that price bracket. Not high-end though. IPS monitors  are higher-end.

[lich98]

Quick looks, I'd save money by getting the i5-4760 instead of the +$100 for the i7. I'd not get a Gigabyte motherboard. The same combo deals are available on ASRock  and Asus motherboards - That may just be my preference, but some guy I know who builds loads of PCs agrees with me. You linked a $770 graphics card, not the $360 version you have in your list. I thought the card you had in the budget build was pretty awesome. Monitors, I'd never buy a 1920x1080 monitor, but that's just me, our family PC has one and it's convenient when I link that to the TV to watch movies and shows.  Monitors are a whole different kettle of fish. Can write books just about those, but the one you listed is probably as good as any of 10 in that price bracket. Not high-end though. IPS monitors  are higher-end.

Would you be able to link me a monitor you recommend?

[Grauniad]

The best bang for the buck is this:  http://www.ebay.com/itm/330810935112?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

There are some that you can get for <$400.

But if you are a serious gamer, playing FPS games, then you should look at the 120 Hz refresh rate monitors. For 1920x1080, not ore than 24 inch. If you go over that you need a higher resolution.

I personally have a 5ms Asus Proart PA248Q  monitor 1920x1200. But that was accidental. If I didn't get stuck with it I'd have the 27" Crossover I linked you above. Virgil has a 2560x1440 Asus I believe. Madmag might be interesting to ask him what he has, I don't recall anymore.

[lich98]

I think this seems to be a good build.

[Grauniad]

A few things I'd change. COnsider this cooler: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103179  THe reason is that is is PWM controlled, so the CPU will send signals to the 4-pin PWM fan plug to control the speed. When idle, the fans will rotate slowly, keeping the noise down. Note that there are other, similar models and you can look around a bit to find one that is the best for you.

If you have a SSD for your main drive, save some coin and get this cheaper 2TB drive. Right now you can get a combo on it with a DVD burner for for $112. THe DVD burner adds effectively $7 to the price. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136891

That SSD is the top-in-class as far as I know. Again, if you want to save a bit you can get the non-Pro version. but go ahead if you wish.

The monitor is pretty neat as well. If you are into fast FPS games, you may want to spend a little more time to look for one (I spent maybe 4 months selecting a monitor) - way more than for any other component.  But the one in your list is certainly a high-class monitor. If you were to look more, look for one that has 120Hz refresh and maybe a faster response time gtg (grey-to-grey).  Other than that, there is really no issues at all.

Don't buy Windows Ultimate. It's a standing joke when we see a PC with that OS that is must be pirated, since nobody will buy it. There is very little that recommends it over the Standard Home Premium and you can save $100. If you ever want to, you can do the MS anytime upgrade from within Windows. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986

There is one more  thing, that I learned from experience.  My first (or was it second?) I went the full monty on LED fans, case lights and all that stuff. ANd nobody looks at it after a week at the most. Then later on, it serves to show you how much dirt is in the case (maybe not a bad thing). :)

My last two build have focused on cool and quiet. I get sound-insulated cases preferably without a side window. I focus on PWM fans for the case and the CPU. I very much like the Vortex series of fans, but I seem to remember that later on I found better fans. Someone that made fans that were designed differently depending on whether they had to push a lot of air free-flowing or if they had to create air pressure to force air through a radiator. Anyway. Now I have these dark, black boxes with no lights showing, one you can't hear if you sitting next to it, the other you can't hear from 6-10 feet away.

I also look for cases that have easily-removable filters to help keep the dust out. Not that it helps much, this build I have is a month old and when I opened it yesterday to add something, there was already a cobweb in it. :( But there was so much dust on the filter, it must have kept some crud out of the case.

I think the build you have now is pretty impressive. Can I have one? :P

[lich98]

I changed the operating system and the Cooling System in this build, If my parents will give me the money for it I will try to build it and let you all know how it performs. Got a good software to use to test a benchmark on the machine? Ofc if I get to build it :D

[Grauniad]

Looks impressive - and a lot cheaper than your initial build. :)

You can benchmark it using Passmark software: http://www.passmark.com/products/pt.htm then you can add to the benchmarks on the Internet.

Not really sure why you swapped out the modular PSU for a non-modular one, you will regret the cable clutter. You can test size your PSU on the Newegg site.

And I don't see a liquid cooler? You dropped that off?

[lich98]

Looks impressive - and a lot cheaper than your initial build. :)

You can benchmark it using Passmark software: http://www.passmark.com/products/pt.htm then you can add to the benchmarks on the Internet.

Not really sure why you swapped out the modular PSU for a non-modular one, you will regret the cable clutter. You can test size your PSU on the Newegg site.

And I don't see a liquid cooler? You dropped that off?

Hm, no I think I need to double check that cart then i swore I chose a Modular PSU and a Liquid Cooler, seems they didn't get added, here is the new cart.

[Grauniad]

Let me know how Rosewill PSU works out. They are a new, agressive components maker and I've got a few of their components, but not a PSU or case.

I think it's wise to go with the 25mm radiator on the cooler, rather than the 38mm of the newer version. I'd be worried about space in my case, although you get better cooling performance with the 38mm unit, which is why they upgraded it.

Overall, I think it is a fantastic build. Hope you manage to pull it off. Little different from what I'd build today, but not that different whan an early build I'd do today.  I'm kind of jealous, and I barely finished this PC a month ago.  :)

Have fun.


Edit: Ouch! I just looked at the price and it's up by about $400 from the previous IIRC? Wow!  :o

Make sure you submit all the rebate requests.

[lich98]

Let me know how Rosewill PSU works out. They are a new, agressive components maker and I've got a few of their components, but not a PSU or case.

I think it's wise to go with the 25mm radiator on the cooler, rather than the 38mm of the newer version. I'd be worried about space in my case, although you get better cooling performance with the 38mm unit, which is why they upgraded it.

Overall, I think it is a fantastic build. Hope you manage to pull it off. Little different from what I'd build today, but not that different whan an early build I'd do today.  I'm kind of jealous, and I barely finished this PC a month ago.  :)

Have fun.

Thanks, i'll let you know how it goes

[Blaze]

I hope nobody minds my asking here, but what is the advantage for any refresh rate over 60 Hz..?

[Grauniad]

Ultra-keen gamers with good eyes say they can see the difference...

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6963/benq-xl2720t-gaming-monitor-reviewed

Designed for gaming use, the BenQ puts a lot of weight into its 120 Hz refresh rate. If you haven't used a 120 Hz display before, you really need to do it in person to see the extra fluidity that it offers in comparison to 60 Hz. It isn't something that can be captured in video, since it would be seen on a 60 Hz display, but in person it's impossible to miss. Simple things like a mouse cursor or dragging a window are much more fluid. Playing games, animations and movement are much more fluid than with 60 Hz, and the change is almost instant to notice. Even myself, who is a casual gamer at best, can notice the difference that it makes in fluidity.

[lich98]

Ultra-keen gamers with good eyes say they can see the difference...

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6963/benq-xl2720t-gaming-monitor-reviewed

Designed for gaming use, the BenQ puts a lot of weight into its 120 Hz refresh rate. If you haven't used a 120 Hz display before, you really need to do it in person to see the extra fluidity that it offers in comparison to 60 Hz. It isn't something that can be captured in video, since it would be seen on a 60 Hz display, but in person it's impossible to miss. Simple things like a mouse cursor or dragging a window are much more fluid. Playing games, animations and movement are much more fluid than with 60 Hz, and the change is almost instant to notice. Even myself, who is a casual gamer at best, can notice the difference that it makes in fluidity.

I'll stick with the 60hz for now, A monitor is something easy to upgrade at a later date.

Graudaid, the build cost according to the newegg cart I can see, which I haven't edited puts the build at $1,650.

[Grauniad]

I've had a few thoughts about this and I'm wondering if any of this is useful.

If you have never built a computer, do you really want to experiment with a top-of-the line PC if you have no experience building and troubleshooting?

In many ways Blaze's method of upgrading an existing PC is best. It is not as expensive and since one changes only a few components at a time, it is a good training path.

I started like that. My first "upgrade" was to drill extra air holes in the front of a case and add an 80mm fan. (I still have the case in a pile I'm going to throw out some day).

I might have added a video card and a wireless card as well.

Then I got a new case with better airflow and a window. I took that case apart (literally) and painted parts of it in various colors. I even painted the hard drives and optical drives with fluorescent paint! I still have a few of them around to remind me...

Next I built a server with an atom-based CPU and a micro-ATX board for <$500 to see if I could do it. THat was probably the most tricky ever, since it being  consumer components and server OS, drivers was a nightmare. But after that I was set, knowing I could do it. (oh yea, this little guy is still running upstairs, managing our files. :)

After that I decided that dark and quiet was more my thing.

Now I've built quite a few more from the ground up. Two so far this year and a number of case swaps and component swaps or installs.

[lich98]

I've had a few thoughts about this and I'm wondering if any of this is useful.

If you have never built a computer, do you really want to experiment with a top-of-the line PC if you have no experience building and troubleshooting?

In many ways Blaze's method of upgrading an existing PC is best. It is not as expensive and since one changes only a few components at a time, it is a good training path.

I started like that. My first "upgrade" was to drill extra air holes in the front of a case and add an 80mm fan. (I still have the case in a pile I'm going to throw out some day).

I might have added a video card and a wireless card as well.

Then I got a new case with better airflow and a window. I took that case apart (literally) and painted parts of it in various colors. I even painted the hard drives and optical drives with fluorescent paint! I still have a few of them around to remind me...

Next I built a server with an atom-based CPU and a micro-ATX board for <$500 to see if I could do it. THat was probably the most tricky ever, since it being  consumer components and server OS, drivers was a nightmare. But after that I was set, knowing I could do it. (oh yea, this little guy is still running upstairs, managing our files. :)

After that I decided that dark and quiet was more my thing.

Now I've built quite a few more from the ground up. Two so far this year and a number of case swaps and component swaps or installs.

I'm going to a high school that will have other kids there that I bet have built a computer, the school might even hace a club or something on it. And my dad works in an IT department and has changed parts of our PC before. When in dought I can always ask here as well.