COMPLETE PART LIST BELOW.
First build. Upgrading from an embarrassingly old Toshiba laptop. Crushingly inexperienced. Help appreciated.
Approximate Purchase Date: This week? Sooner the better, yes - however, if I have good reason to wait (e.g. prices will be lower), I'll be happy to do so. On the flipside, if y'all make me feel confident, I'll pull the trigger tomorrow.
Budget Range: ~1700. If I can miraculously shrink it down to $1500 or so so I can purchase a new drawing tablet/few toys, even better. Details on what needs to stay/can be changed below.
System Usage from Most to Least Important: CG/multimedia, gaming, light programming. I've been slowly starting to get into 3D programming/game dev as well, but I don't expect any hardware roadblocks.
If I can play the latest and greatest in 1080, hey, that doesn't hurt at all.
Are you buying a monitor: Yes: an ASUS VS Series VS247H-P 23.6"
Parts to Upgrade: New build. List below.
Do you need to buy OS: Yes, going for Windows 7.
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: N/A.
Location: North Jersey/NYC region. I'd prefer to shop online, but if there's something REALLY good in store someplace, I'll take a trip.
Parts Preferences: One of my major must haves is a nvidia gpu - my main program of choice is Blender, an open source 3D graphics program. Cycles, it's rendering engine, does not function on AMD architecture and won't be supported/worked on in the foreseeable future - it's lame, I know. Something about AMD compiling issues, kernels, openCL, I dunno. All I know is I had to switch out a 7970 and nearly cried.
Other than that, I have no real preference, aside from not wanting something that'll break. That's a given though, I suppose.
Overclocking: Maybe, depending on the difficulty. I've never done it before and will be looking into it after the build is complete (adding in an aftermarket cooler so I'll be ready, regardless).
SLI or Crossfire: In the future, certainly? If the price of another GTX 670 is within my means, I'll definitely pop it in there. In fact, that's one of the reasons for going with the 670 over 680: affordability. More on that in a moment, though.
Your Monitor Resolution: 1920 x 1080
Additional Comments: Alright, so I'm embarrassingly ignorant with regard to building a PC. I've upgraded here and there in the past, but never built one from scratch. I think I did an okay job with the research (thanks in particular to TH and this forum... you guys rock!), but am still hesitant and nervous (as you can imagine). Here's a partlist.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks
CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($297.28 @ TigerDirect)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($25.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus SABERTOOTH Z77 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($224.98 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($65.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Transcend 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($174.00 @ B&H)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($329.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 650D ATX Mid Tower Case ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 750W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($56.23 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Asus VS247H-P 23.6" Monitor ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($79.99 @ CompUSA)
Keyboard: Logitech K200 Wired Standard Keyboard ($14.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Mouse: Cooler Master SGM-2001-BLON1 Wired Optical Mouse ($19.58 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1713.98
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-11-27 21:01 EST-0500)
I have no idea how to go about shopping for mobos in particular - please, please help. I humbly tuck my tail between my legs and ask for your advice, o wise ones. I know that board is WAY more than what I need (the potential forward compatibility/future proofing is nice, but unnecessary), but have no idea how to go one tier lower or whatever.
I want the computer to be respectable for multimedia work/gaming without killing me - you'll notice I went with the i7 simply because I hear the 8 threads are super helpful/efficient. I really have a terrible frame of reference, as my ancient laptop now is essentially a form of automasochism. Or autosadism. I never know the right word.
In any case, 16 gigs of memory is definitely going to help with baking some physics sims. I do need advice on the video card - I hear the 680 is just marginally more powerful than the 670. Is this the case? Will I see any perceivable difference if I go with the 680? Should I go for 4GB? Help.
In addition, is that 750w PSU going to stay with me if I add another 670? It isn't necessary to the build that it's SLI ready, and PSUs aren't bank breaking, anyway. I like modularity, though.
EDIT: also editing to say I'm willing to go with a slightly smaller monitor if it's cheaper/reliable. I really, really don't need much, but 23.6" at that price seems really cool.
Regardless, I'd like to hear any input. As always, if you can price out something cheaper, feel free to let me know. As I've said before, this is my first build and I'm sure I made some stupid mistakes. Let loose, and thanks so much for taking a look.
This forum is awesome.
(Also - what's the deal with these fugly cases out on the market? By god.)
First build. Upgrading from an embarrassingly old Toshiba laptop. Crushingly inexperienced. Help appreciated.
Approximate Purchase Date: This week? Sooner the better, yes - however, if I have good reason to wait (e.g. prices will be lower), I'll be happy to do so. On the flipside, if y'all make me feel confident, I'll pull the trigger tomorrow.
Budget Range: ~1700. If I can miraculously shrink it down to $1500 or so so I can purchase a new drawing tablet/few toys, even better. Details on what needs to stay/can be changed below.
System Usage from Most to Least Important: CG/multimedia, gaming, light programming. I've been slowly starting to get into 3D programming/game dev as well, but I don't expect any hardware roadblocks.
If I can play the latest and greatest in 1080, hey, that doesn't hurt at all.
Are you buying a monitor: Yes: an ASUS VS Series VS247H-P 23.6"
Parts to Upgrade: New build. List below.
Do you need to buy OS: Yes, going for Windows 7.
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: N/A.
Location: North Jersey/NYC region. I'd prefer to shop online, but if there's something REALLY good in store someplace, I'll take a trip.
Parts Preferences: One of my major must haves is a nvidia gpu - my main program of choice is Blender, an open source 3D graphics program. Cycles, it's rendering engine, does not function on AMD architecture and won't be supported/worked on in the foreseeable future - it's lame, I know. Something about AMD compiling issues, kernels, openCL, I dunno. All I know is I had to switch out a 7970 and nearly cried.
Other than that, I have no real preference, aside from not wanting something that'll break. That's a given though, I suppose.
Overclocking: Maybe, depending on the difficulty. I've never done it before and will be looking into it after the build is complete (adding in an aftermarket cooler so I'll be ready, regardless).
SLI or Crossfire: In the future, certainly? If the price of another GTX 670 is within my means, I'll definitely pop it in there. In fact, that's one of the reasons for going with the 670 over 680: affordability. More on that in a moment, though.
Your Monitor Resolution: 1920 x 1080
Additional Comments: Alright, so I'm embarrassingly ignorant with regard to building a PC. I've upgraded here and there in the past, but never built one from scratch. I think I did an okay job with the research (thanks in particular to TH and this forum... you guys rock!), but am still hesitant and nervous (as you can imagine). Here's a partlist.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks
CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($297.28 @ TigerDirect)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($25.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus SABERTOOTH Z77 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($224.98 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($65.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Transcend 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($174.00 @ B&H)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($329.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 650D ATX Mid Tower Case ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 750W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($56.23 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Asus VS247H-P 23.6" Monitor ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($79.99 @ CompUSA)
Keyboard: Logitech K200 Wired Standard Keyboard ($14.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Mouse: Cooler Master SGM-2001-BLON1 Wired Optical Mouse ($19.58 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1713.98
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-11-27 21:01 EST-0500)
I have no idea how to go about shopping for mobos in particular - please, please help. I humbly tuck my tail between my legs and ask for your advice, o wise ones. I know that board is WAY more than what I need (the potential forward compatibility/future proofing is nice, but unnecessary), but have no idea how to go one tier lower or whatever.
I want the computer to be respectable for multimedia work/gaming without killing me - you'll notice I went with the i7 simply because I hear the 8 threads are super helpful/efficient. I really have a terrible frame of reference, as my ancient laptop now is essentially a form of automasochism. Or autosadism. I never know the right word.
In any case, 16 gigs of memory is definitely going to help with baking some physics sims. I do need advice on the video card - I hear the 680 is just marginally more powerful than the 670. Is this the case? Will I see any perceivable difference if I go with the 680? Should I go for 4GB? Help.
In addition, is that 750w PSU going to stay with me if I add another 670? It isn't necessary to the build that it's SLI ready, and PSUs aren't bank breaking, anyway. I like modularity, though.
EDIT: also editing to say I'm willing to go with a slightly smaller monitor if it's cheaper/reliable. I really, really don't need much, but 23.6" at that price seems really cool.
Regardless, I'd like to hear any input. As always, if you can price out something cheaper, feel free to let me know. As I've said before, this is my first build and I'm sure I made some stupid mistakes. Let loose, and thanks so much for taking a look.
This forum is awesome.
(Also - what's the deal with these fugly cases out on the market? By god.)
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