Extremely new to builds.

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Fever_64

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Feb 7, 2013
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Hey, there.


Ever since the gaming pc around, I was really interested in it, but I never actually had enough money to buy a decent one. Now that I have enough, I've decided to build a custom PC, and I want your guys' input on it! I have around $1200~ to spend. I'm able to go higher than that, but preferably not to because I still want to save extra cash lying around for lulz. Of course, going $100-150 isn't a problem. Now, I'm not exactly the best with choosing the parts, so I think I can leave it to your guys' capable hands.

I'm very new to this, so please don't be irritated by my slowness. :D



Approximate Purchase Date: Most likely sometime around next month. Early next month.


Budget range: $1200 - $1500.


System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming>>>>Streaming>>Surfing the net>Movies.


Are you buying a monitor: Yes.


Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Yes, I do. I'm from New Zealand and I figured buying from Amazon is too much of a hassle. http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=g&p=components Please only select components from this website.


Overclocking: Yeah, I guess.


SLI or Crossfire: No.


And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: My old computer is garbage.



Additional Comments: I have been recommended by a lot of my friends to purchase this graphics card: http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p...GeForce-GTX-660-SC-version--2GB-192bit-GDDR5- That said, I wish to build a gaming pc around this.


Also, I wouldn't mind if you build around an i5 3750k processor, as well. They have a pretty nifty discount on that so far.
 
Solution
Sakkura
All motherboards with the Z75 or Z77 chipsets support overclocking. Some of the cheapest ones may not be super-reliable with a big overclock, but that's more nebulous.
There is a cheaper Z77 board from Asus, but personally I wouldn't go below that Gigabyte board I recommended.

The Core i5-3570 and 3570k are almost identical if you don't overclock.
Overclocking helps in some games, but at the moment, probably at least 90% of games won't notice any difference. Over the next few years games will get more demanding, so overclocking will be an advantage. How big an advantage is debatable. It's worth it, but it's not essential.
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Sakkura

Sakkura

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Aug 22, 2011
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Here's a build close to $1200. A few corners do have to be cut, but this is still a pretty good gaming machine.

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570k - $269
http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=CPUIT3571&name=Intel-Latest-Core-i5-3570K-Ivy-Bridge-Unlocked-3.4

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo - $49
http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=FANCLM0213&name=COOLER-MASTER-HYPER-212-EVO-COOLER-120mm-PWM-Fan-4

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77-HD3 - $165
http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=MBDGBM2720&name=Gigabyte-GA-Z77-HD3-LGA1155-Sandy--Ivy-Bridge-Inte

RAM: 2 x 4GB G.Skill Ares DDR3-1600 CL9 - $85
http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=MEMGSK0493&name=G.SKILL-Ares-8GB-%282x4GB%29-DDR3-1600MHz-%28PC3-12800%29-

Graphics card: EVGA Geforce GTX 660 SC - $329
http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=VGAEVG2667&name=EVGA-GeForce-GTX-660-SC-version--2GB-192bit-GDDR5-

Power supply: Seasonic S12II Bronze 520W - $119
http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=PSUSSN10520&name=SeaSonic-S12II-520-Bronze-520W-ATX12V-V2.3--EPS-12

HDD: 1 TB WD Blue - $89
http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=HDDWD1923&name=Western-Digital-Blue-Edition-1TB-3.5-SATA3-Interna

Case: Corsair Carbide 200R - $90
http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=CHACOR0200&name=Corsair-Carbide-200R-Black-Compact-ATX-Case-ATXmAT

Optical drive: Samsung SH-224BB - $30
http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=DVWSAM1804&name=Samsung-SH-224BBBEBS-SATA-Black-Internal-24x-Speed
 
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Fever_64

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Feb 7, 2013
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10,510



Ah- thank you! Thank you very much!


I have some questions, though. I noticed you chose a fan-less case and chose a separate fan. Would it be possible to just replace both with this:

http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p...R-MASTER-K350-Black-Gaming-Mid-Tower-Case-fro

Seeing as that in the specifications, they already have a built-in fan. Or is that not how it works? Again, I apologize for my naivete. :D


Thank you once again for taking your time to post!
 
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Sakkura

Sakkura

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Aug 22, 2011
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The Corsair Carbide 200R comes with a front intake fan and a rear exhaust fan. The Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo is not a case fan but a CPU cooler, mounted instead of the stock Intel cooler that comes with the Core i5-3570k to handle the extra heat generated when overclocking.
 
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Fever_64

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Feb 7, 2013
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Okay, guess I'll keep the case then.


One more question. Regarding the motherboard, is it possible for me to change it from that to this:

http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=MBDASR0540&name=ASRock-H71M-DGS-Intel-H61-chipset-Socket-1155-mATX

Even though my budget is technically around $1200 to $1500, I don't exactly want to spend way too much on it; I want some money to fall back on for other things in life. You said that this is still a pretty good gaming machine. Will replacing a motherboard for a cheaper one dampen the performance at all?
 
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Sakkura

Sakkura

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Aug 22, 2011
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That motherboard doesn't allow overclocking, so if you go for that you might as well save some money on the CPU as well (the Core i5-3570k costs more because it can be overclocked freely). A Core i5-3570 (no K) or 3470 are good options. You also won't need the CPU cooler then, the stock cooler is fine.

The lack of overclocking does limit CPU performance, of course. But it's not like a Core i5 is slow at stock clocks, so it is a legitimate way to save some money without crippling the computer.
 
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Fever_64

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Feb 7, 2013
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10,510




Ah, I see. Then, is there any other motherboards in that section that are cheaper but support overclocking? Because I can't seem to tell the ones that do and the ones that don't from said page. I know that they're offering a very nice discount on it, but as you can see, I'm not buying parts till next month. That said, I'm only looking at the original price of every single item and adding it up, so I have a buffer room just in case they don't keep the discounts in the future as they're doing now.


Also, suppose I DO buy the i5 3570 against the i5 3570k. There's no real disadvantage there, except for being unable to overclock, right? Does overclocking actually matter when playing on high settings with most games? Or is my build able to run them without any trouble? It's like you said though, no? It's a great money-saver without hindering the performance, I guess... I may be having second thoughts about overclocking... Unless the increase in performance is very noticeable.



After sorting the motherboard problem out, I believe we're set!


Thanks again for your help.


As for Noob, sorry. D: I can't buy from anywhere except for that particular website. Too much of a hassle, really.
 
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Sakkura

Sakkura

Illustrious
Aug 22, 2011
8,129
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37,965
All motherboards with the Z75 or Z77 chipsets support overclocking. Some of the cheapest ones may not be super-reliable with a big overclock, but that's more nebulous.
There is a cheaper Z77 board from Asus, but personally I wouldn't go below that Gigabyte board I recommended.

The Core i5-3570 and 3570k are almost identical if you don't overclock.
Overclocking helps in some games, but at the moment, probably at least 90% of games won't notice any difference. Over the next few years games will get more demanding, so overclocking will be an advantage. How big an advantage is debatable. It's worth it, but it's not essential.
 
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