Building a new gaming PC n00b

[ak27]

Hey, i'm Alex and live in Canada. I don't know much about building a PC, but i did some research and asked people about it. So yea, i'm a straight noob.
My budget is currently at 1500$ (canadian $), but i probably will be able to push it higher if really needed.

I've been reading a few of the threads here, and the moderators and staff look like professionals. So i'd really like hearing from your opinions/advice.

What i want : high end gaming pc that would last for a couple years, cool, quiet. Only Intel and GeForce. No AMD or Radeon.
So here's what i don't need: keyboard, mouse, OS, speakers.
Prices based on newegg.ca!


- CPU : There is 2 possibilities for that, i saw the Intel Core i7 2600 & the 2600K. I don't know anything about overclocking at the moment, but for the future i'd rather take the 2600K since it's only 20$ to add compared to 2600. And i'll be able to overclock if wanted with the 2600K version,right?

Newegg.ca - Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I72600K


- MOTHERBOARD:
Newegg.ca - Intel BOXDP67DEB3 LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

is that good enough? can it be better?


- MEMORY: I'll stick at 8gb, i heard Corsair was a good brand so that's what i found

Newegg.ca - CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9

- CPU FAN: I know intel is providing one with the processor, but a lot of people seem to buy a better one. Any suggestions?


- HARD DRIVE : I'm not willing to go to 1TB, since i don't need it. All the work and music etc... i do it on my macbook pro. So the PC i'm building is really only meant for gaming, nothing else.
I guess i could stick with a 500GB HD. A lot of you guys were saying that WD Black Edition was a good choice.
Newegg.ca - Western Digital Caviar Black WD5002AALX 500GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive


- PSU : I have simply no idea on which one i should get. Open to any suggestions.


- GRAPHIC CARD : I want a GeForce, but there's just too many of them. I heard stuff about SLI/Crossfire, 2 graphic cards.
I just don't know what would be the best. Then again, submit your ideas!


- CASE : I want something that'll keep my computer cool and with minimal noise.
Newegg.ca - COOLER MASTER Storm Scout SGC-2000-KKN1-GP Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case


- DVD DRIVE : Just need something simple, no lightscribe or BluRay.
Newegg.ca - ASUS Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - CD / DVD Burners

- SOUND CARD: I don't know if it's needed, but it can take off some CPU usage? Should i get one or is it not necessary?

- WIRELESS ADAPTER : I will need wireless since i'm in another room. Should i get some PCI-E Wireless Adapter?
Newegg.ca - D-Link DWA-556 IEEE 802.11n (draft)
IEEE 802.11g
IEEE 802.11b PCI Express Xtreme Desktop Adapter Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP)
Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA, WPA2)

- MONITOR : I already have one 19inch, which is 5-6 years old
Samsung SyncMaster 930B Review - LCD Monitors - CNET Reviews

Should i get something better? With HDMI etc... Is it better for gaming?



That's it for the parts i need for my computer, as you guys can see there is a lot of questions pending. And i'd really appreciate your expertise.
Also, what else do i need to build it? Screwdrivers combo? Thermal paste? Another extra fan?
Don't hesitate to correct me, or to suggest better products. I'm here to learn, and i'll take the critics.

Thanks in advance guys!

Alex

[glc]

Motherboard:

Newegg.ca - ASUS P8P67 PRO (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

PSU:

Newegg.ca - CORSAIR Enthusiast Series CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply

Video card:

Newegg.ca - EVGA 01G-P3-1561-AR GeForce GTX 560 Ti FPB (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

Sound card not necessary.

CPU cooler ONLY if you plan on overclocking:

Newegg.ca - COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7

Wireless adapter:

Newegg.ca - Rosewill RNX-G300EX IEEE 802.11b/g PCI Wireless Card Up to 54Mbps Data Rates 64/128-Bit WEP, 802.1x, WPA, WPA2, AES, TKIP with 100cm cable external 2 dBi Antenna

Now, your monitor should be fine. However, do you think you may want dual displays?

Newegg.ca - ASUS VE247H Black 23.6" 2ms Full HD HDMI LED BackLight LCD Monitor w/Speakers 300 cd/m2 10,000,000:1 (ASCR)

[birddog_61]

What kind of games will you be playing, going off of the monitor that glc posted(better choice) your max resolution with one monitor will be 1920x1080. Depending on the games you are going to play and how high you like to crank the graphics will determine the graphics card you need. The 560 glc posted is a nice card, however if you want to play say metro 2033 maxed out you will need more card.

[ak27]

thanks for the fast reply guys!

@glc, i won't be playing dual screen. I'll stick with my older screen. Thanks for all the parts you've submitted. For the asus motherboard it's out of stock pretty much everywhere even at retailers.
Any other motherboard?
I'll follow your advice and won't take the CPU cooler, since i'm not going to overclock for now.

@birddogg_61 i'll be pretty happy at 1920x1080, i'm used to playing on 800x600. And i won't be playing metro 2033 maxed out. For now i'll be playing Black Ops and modern warfare 3 when it gets out. But for the future, wouldn't it better to get an even better card?

[Exhale]

Quick motherboard question, what makes

Newegg.ca - ASUS P8P67 PRO (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

better than

Newegg.ca - Intel BOXDP67DEB3 LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
?

And if the reason (which I suspect it is) is additional ports/features, what are they and why would someone need those additions?

[birddog_61]

Originally Posted by ak27 thanks for the fast reply guys! @birddogg_61 i'll be pretty happy at 1920x1080, i'm used to playing on 800x600. And i won't be playing metro 2033 maxed out. For now i'll be playing Black Ops and modern warfare 3 when it gets out. But for the future, wouldn't it better to get an even better card?

There are basically two schools of thought on this. The first is buy the biggest card that you can afford and be happy until you have to upgrade. The second is buy what you need now and then in a year when faster stuff is out and you need more card buy what you need again. The first option you will spend more money initially but you won't upgrade as often, the second will be a little cheaper for the card but you will be changing it more often. I personally bought a card that will get me by until I had more disposable cash and am waiting for kepler's release at the end of the year because it is supposed to be a big jump in performance per watt. A gtx 560 will play black ops maxed out easily, modern warfare 3 it should be able to play on max fine although there are no specs on the game yet usually the COD franchise is pretty easy to run.

If you want to see what different cards will do on your games check this site out and watch the 1920x1200 section, its a little more resolution than what you will have but not by much.
http://www.geforce.com/#/Optimize

[Nuclear Krusader]

Check NCIX.com - Canada's Premier Computer Store before you commit. If they're not cheaper than newegg they can match the prices.

[birddog_61]

Originally Posted by Exhale Quick motherboard question, what makes Newegg.ca - ASUS P8P67 PRO (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard better than Newegg.ca - Intel BOXDP67DEB3 LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard ? And if the reason (which I suspect it is) is additional ports/features, what are they and why would someone need those additions?

The Asus is built better, natively supports O.C memory to 2200, has 2 pcie x16 lanes (two graphics card slots), has 1 more sata 3 port, and 2 more sata 6 ports, has onboard bluetooth (connect bluetooth keyboard,mouse,phone), has ps2 port (older keyboard,mouse connection), has 1 more esata port (external hdd connection much faster than usb 2), and is atx size instead of micro.

[ak27]

@birddog yea i prefer paying a big price and changing my gfx card when i won't be satisfied anymore. thanks!

@Nuclear Krusader, thanks for the website. I think i found the same ASUS motherboard, but i'm not sure. Can't check if they're different or not.

NCIX.com - Buy ASUS P8P67 ATX P67 LGA1155 DDR3 2PCI-E16 2PCI-E1 3PCI USB3.0 Sandy Bridge B3 Motherboard - ASUS - P8P67 - in Canada

AND

Newegg.ca - ASUS P8P67 PRO (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

[Nuclear Krusader]

This is the one at Ncix:

NCIX.com - Buy ASUS P8P67 Pro ATX P67 LGA1155 DDR3 3PCI-E16 2PCI-E1 2PCI Sandy Bridge B3 Motherboard - ASUS - P8P67 PRO - in Canada

Try the price match with your newegg.ca link.

[glc]

If you will never be adding a second video card, the plain P8P67 is fine. Get the Pro if you think you will ever add another card for SLI.

[ak27]

Alright, so would it be better two get two of these :Newegg.ca - EVGA 01G-P3-1366-TR GeForce GTX 460 SE (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
and put them on SLI

OR

get one :
Newegg.ca - EVGA 015-P3-1580-AR GeForce GTX 580 (Fermi) 1536MB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

[birddog_61]

When you start doing SLI/Crossfire you start running into driver issues with some games. It is much more simple and less work to run one video card that is big enough to do what you want. The two 460's will be a tiny bit faster, however at your resolution it won't matter because either will play any game you want maxed out at a high FPS. Personally in your shoes I would go with either a gtx 570 or gtx 580 whichever you decide will be extremely fast at 1080.

[ak27]

thanks for the info, i'll probably go for the gtx 580!
About the motherboards, now i don't need the PRO version, since i'm not using SLI.
I've read the feedback on newegg about the ASUS motherboards, and many customers are getting replacement motheboards.

so wouldn't it be better to go for an intel one?

[glc]

They are getting replacements due to the B3 chip revision.

I still prefer Asus. Intel boards are not made for performance. Depending on who is making them for Intel these days, reliability may be excellent or may be not so good.

[ak27]

Ok, but there's many version of the asus p67 1155 mobo. Can you link me one that'll suit my needs please?

[glc]

Answered in my last post. Plain old "P8P67".

[ak27]

Perfect. Last question for you, it's about the PSU. Read some comments about the fact that taking a 650W would be the limit for a gtx 580. So i've found another PSU at 750W for the same price on ncix.com, thanks @Nuclear Krusader!

NCIX.com - Buy Corsair TX750W 750W ATX 12V 60A 24PIN ATX Power Supply Active PFC 140MM Fan - Corsair - CMPSU-750TX - in Canada

what do you think about it?

[ak27]

After reviewing what you guys have submitted to me here's what i have in my wish list :

CPU: i7 2600 K

MOBO : ASUS P8P67 PRO (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
if i plan on using sli in future

CPU COOLER: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212
since i'm gonna overclock

CASE : Newegg.ca - COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
seems like a better, bigger, cooler case.

GRAPHIC CARD : Newegg.ca - EVGA SuperClocked 015-P3-1582-AR GeForce GTX 580 (Fermi) 1536MB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

MEMORY: Newegg.ca - G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL

PSU : 750W instead of 650W
NCIX.com - Buy Corsair TX750W 750W ATX 12V 60A 24PIN ATX Power Supply Active PFC 140MM Fan - Corsair - CMPSU-750TX - in Canada

i thought about a better PSU to support the gfx card. Is it needed to be higher if ever im overclocking?

Also do i need extra thermal paste : Newegg.ca - Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - Thermal Compound / Grease

[Nuclear Krusader]

You don't want G.skill memory. Maybe they're gotten their act together, maybe they haven't; no need to gamble. Choose Crucial, Kingston or Corsair.

[glc]

If you are even thinking about SLI with two 580's, you need a 1000 watt PSU.

[confuzedsushi]

Originally Posted by Exhale Quick motherboard question, what makes Newegg.ca - ASUS P8P67 PRO (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard better than Newegg.ca - Intel BOXDP67DEB3 LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard ? And if the reason (which I suspect it is) is additional ports/features, what are they and why would someone need those additions?

Micro is NOT what you're looking for...

[ak27]

@Nuclear thanks again, i'll get back to something like corsair vengeance!

@glc thats good to know! Thx

@confuzed, i'm going with a normal ATX with the ASUS PRO P8P67


So am i good with 750W for simply overclocking for the moment? No sli.

[glc]

The Vengeance has positives and negatives. The positive is it's one of the very few sets of 1600 speed ram that's 1.5 volt. The negative is the heatsinks are fragile and can interfere with large CPU coolers.

[ak27]

You're right, here's what i found on newegg.ca :

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16820145324

sure they're at 1.6V but i don't have any choice since i found this feedback :

""Pros: I am able to get 2 kits (16gb) running stable at 1600 on a Asus P8P67 WS Revoloution. The XMP settings work great even with 2 kits.

Cons: Runs at 1.65v 1.5 would be better.

Other Thoughts: I would have used vengance, but the huge heat sinks get in the way of a coolermaster 212 on that board.""

[ak27]

Or, maybe just putting the vengeance on the last 2 slots of the mobo? Instead of the 2 right next to the cpu?

[ak27]

Forget it, i found a way to still have the vengeance and the hyper 212 without interfering. Thanks G.
So i'll probably be ordering tomorrow, since i got everything i need.
Here's the final list :
i7 2600 K
8 GB Corsair Vengeance DDR3 1600 1.5V
EVGA GTX 580 superclocked
Corsair TX750W
ASUS P8P67 Pro
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212+ cpu cooler
COOLER MASTER HAF 922 case
WD Black 500Gb
ASUS DVD DRIVE


Thanks for your expertise guys, it was really useful and actually learned a lot reading other threads too!
Don't worry, i'm sure i'll have other questions when i'll receive everything!

Special thanks for G

Alex

[glc]

How are you going to do that - remove the heatsinks? If you are going to use different slots, make sure you still install them for dual channel operation.

[ak27]

As you said the different slots, or check what this guy did : YouTube - My Custom Computer.

[ak27]

I'd like to thank everyone that actually helped me building up my pc and giving me advice to do so.
It works perfectly, i just have a few questions for you :

- How can i get my ram to 1600mhz(which is originally supposed to be), instead of the pc recognizing it as being 1333mhz?

- ive got 4 SATA 6gb/s ports on my Motherboard, but 2 are Marvell SATA 6gb/s(SATA6G_E1/E2) AND the 2 others are Intel SATA 6gb/s(SATA6g_1/2) ? Whats the difference between those?

- How can i disable through bios or anything, the BEEP that the computer makes each time it boots up? Btw the one beep means everything is fine, based on the motherboard manual.


Thanks again!