Building a PC

[Novakane_]

Will be most likely building a PC soon. Any first timer advice? I want it to be good with games but not really looking to make a hardcore gaming computer. Just overall good for editing, gaming, and casual use. Any help would be great.

Apologies if this is in the wrong category.

 

[BadActor]

Decide what you will be doing with the computer first. Gaming, web surfing, editing, etc. Then choose your monitor based on that. For instance, If you do photo editing, choose an IPS panel monitor with good color accuracy. If your a gamer and value performance over image quality, you might get one designed for gaming. Once you narrow that down, you can pick the video card that will drive your monitor at whatever FPS and quality settings you're shooting for in games, or has the outputs you need for multi monitor and so on. Then you pick a CPU that will have sufficient power without bottle-necking your video card or one that gives the best performance for editing, multitasking, whatever. Then when you have your CPU, you can pick the motherboard that has a compatible socket and the features you want. Ram will depend on what you do with it, but consider 8 GB's minimum. Once you have all these components chosen, you can calculate your system wattage and and what size PSU you need. Tom's has lots of stickies and charts which will help you. When you finally sort out your build, use PCPartPicker to build your system and then you can post it on the forums here for input.

www.pcpartpicker.com

 

[Novakane_]

Decide what you will be doing with the computer first. Gaming, web surfing, editing, etc. Then choose your monitor based on that. For instance, If you do photo editing, choose an IPS panel monitor with good color accuracy. If your a gamer and value performance over image quality, you might get one designed for gaming. Once you narrow that down, you can pick the video card that will drive your monitor at whatever FPS and quality settings you're shooting for in games, or has the outputs you need for multi monitor and so on. Then you pick a CPU that will have sufficient power without bottle-necking your video card or one that gives the best performance for editing, multitasking, whatever. Then when you have your CPU, you can pick the motherboard that has a compatible socket and the features you want. Ram will depend on what you do with it, but consider 8 GB's minimum. Once you have all these components chosen, you can calculate your system wattage and and what size PSU you need. Tom's has lots of stickies and charts which will help you. When you finally sort out your build, use PCPartPicker to build your system and then you can post it on the forums here for input.

www.pcpartpicker.com

really appreciate the feedback. I am looking to spend a max of $750 on my pc. I want an overall performing computer that can be upgraded in the future if need be. maybe a 6th gen or so i5. can AMD graphics work good with intel, or is a cheaper Nvidia better for me? as far as the monitor goes im not hardcore gaming as i said, so a middle grade monitor will do. The motherboard is the thing that i have many options on, i can get a gaming one but im not sure if that will be suitable for editing and casual computing as well. I want an all-around pc that can be up to par with most things i run on it.

That website seems really helpful, thanks again.

 

[BadActor]

AMD cards work on Intel boards. If you plan on gaming at 1080p, research Game Benchmarks to see how well different cards run your favorite games and at what settings. Pick your card based on that. The new i5 is a good choice (I'm partial), and the Z170 boards have lots of features, Gaming motherboards will work fine for editing too, it's just that they usually have overclocking features, better sound, sometimes dual Network Interfaces and other features oriented towards gaming. See my specs, I built my system with the same things as you in mind. Use a PSU from Tom's PSU Tiers 1 or 2 to power and protect your other components.

url=http://pcpartpicker.com/p/TcZs23]PCPartPicker part list[/url] /
Price breakdown by
merchant CPU:
Intel Core i5-6600K
3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($254.99 @ Amazon) CPU Cooler:
Thermalright
TS-120M 53.3 CFM CPU Cooler ($32.99 @ SuperBiiz) Motherboard:
Gigabyte
GA-Z170X-Gaming 5 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard

 

[Novakane_]

AMD cards work on Intel boards. If you plan on gaming at 1080p, research Game Benchmarks to see how well different cards run your favorite games and at what settings. Pick your card based on that. The new i5 is a good choice (I'm partial), and the Z170 boards have lots of features, Gaming motherboards will work fine for editing too, it's just that they usually have overclocking features, better sound, sometimes dual Network Interfaces and other features oriented towards gaming. See my specs, I built my system with the same things as you in mind. Use a PSU from Tom's PSU Tiers 1 or 2 to power and protect your other components.

url=http://pcpartpicker.com/p/TcZs23]PCPartPicker part list[/url] /
Price breakdown by
merchant CPU:
Intel Core i5-6600K
3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($254.99 @ Amazon) CPU Cooler:
Thermalright
TS-120M 53.3 CFM CPU Cooler ($32.99 @ SuperBiiz) Motherboard:
Gigabyte
GA-Z170X-Gaming 5 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard

Do you think i need ddr4 ram? i was thinking maybe 12gb ddr3. also do you recommend a ssd i think id be fine with hdd. I was actually looking at that motherboard the other day on here, looks great. you got a real nice graphics card there, i think im going a bit smaller with that. awesome setup though.

also, could you just buy windows 7 and free upgrade to windows 10?
why the extra cooling fan?
and im looking for a clear side tower with LEDs

sorry for any inconvenience im trying to gain as much knowledge about this stuff as possible

 

[BadActor]

If you want future proof, DDR4 is the way to go. There are Skylake boards now that use DDR3, but DDR3 is on the way out. You must use a dual channel kit to get the best performance, so this means 2 x 4 GB's sticks at a minimum. An SSD is not really necessary, for a mostly gaming computer, but really make the computer more responsive. Most guys will tell you that you don't need one, but I think if you have ever used one, you wouldn't ever go back. You can get a small SSD to put your OS on now, and when you start to run out of room, add a larger HDD storage drive, they aren't very expensive. You can upgrade Windows 7 to 10 until July next year if you choose to. I used extra cooling fans in my case because I'm overclocking and using an air cooler for my CPU. Keeps everything nice and cool. If your looking for a side window case, have a look at this one:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139041&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-PCPartPicker,%20LLC-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

This would be an excellent non-overclocking build in your price range:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($184.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($30.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3P ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($79.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($53.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($77.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 380 4GB NITRO Dual-X OC Video Card ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair SPEC-01 RED ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($47.60 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $745.42
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-12-01 03:59 EST-0500

 

[Novakane_]

If you want future proof, DDR4 is the way to go. There are Skylake boards now that use DDR3, but DDR3 is on the way out. You must use a dual channel kit to get the best performance, so this means 2 x 4 GB's sticks at a minimum. An SSD is not really necessary, for a mostly gaming computer, but really make the computer more responsive. Most guys will tell you that you don't need one, but I think if you have ever used one, you wouldn't ever go back. You can get a small SSD to put your OS on now, and when you start to run out of room, add a larger HDD storage drive, they aren't very expensive. You can upgrade Windows 7 to 10 until July next year if you choose to. I used extra cooling fans in my case because I'm overclocking and using an air cooler for my CPU. Keeps everything nice and cool. If your looking for a side window case, have a look at this one:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139041&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-PCPartPicker,%20LLC-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

This would be an excellent non-overclocking build in your price range:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($184.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($30.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3P ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($79.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($53.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($77.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 380 4GB NITRO Dual-X OC Video Card ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair SPEC-01 RED ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($47.60 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $745.42
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-12-01 03:59 EST-0500

this is something i set up real quick similar to that : http://pcpartpicker.com/p/svCc8d

seems like most motherboards and parts in general are oriented for gaming use. I like that tower but ill get the 3.0 because it has more fans. I also want a sd card reading drive, but that doesnt seem to be an option from pcpartpicker. and looking at the processors, theres a lot of i5s to choose from so which ones should i stay away from and which ones are good? Is there any i7 thats lower grade that works comparable to a high grade i5?

 

[BadActor]

You can add a card reader to an open front drive bay. Newegg has many to choose from. Any i5 would work well with midrange graphics cards, but he i7 is going to be tough to do with your budget. They cost significantly more. I compared our builds. Your PSU is really low quality. If you do nothing else, please get a higher quality one to protect your components. Also the video card I recommended would have substantially more graphics power.

 

[Novakane_]

You can add a card reader to an open front drive bay. Newegg has many to choose from. Any i5 would work well with midrange graphics cards, but he i7 is going to be tough to do with your budget. They cost significantly more. I compared our builds. Your PSU is really low quality. If you do nothing else, please get a higher quality one to protect your components. Also the video card I recommended would have substantially more graphics power.

I'm pretty much decided on going with a DDR3 based CPU/Motherboard. If i need to upgrade i will in the future. Put a great graphics card in this build, but i feel its too strong for the use im gonna get out of it, im not going to hardcore game. still not sure if i really need a SSD on it either.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($79.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: AMD 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($44.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($45.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 960 4GB Video Card ($199.99 @ Micro Center)
Case: NZXT Phantom 240 ATX Mid Tower Case ($65.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 500W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($51.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($18.88 @ OutletPC)
Keyboard: Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($21.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $784.77
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-12-01 21:11 EST-0500