First Build (nOOb)

[tonksnacher]

Ok I am sure this is posed many times but I trust what you guys have to say so here is what I am looking at for a first build:

Mobo - Asus P8H67 M-Pro ?
Proc - Intel i5 2500k sb
Ram - G-Skill Ripjaws 2X 4gb 1033
HD - Samsung spinpoint 1tb
SSD - ?
PSU - some 500 - 650W (not sure)?
Case - Logisys CS 120bk atx
OS - Win 7

This is what I have figured so far. Really the only for sure is the sandy 2500k, all the rest is just trying to fill in the blanks with what I have researched so far.

My main concerns are the psu, since no where is there a difinitive good or no good on those so that kind of throws me off and I have heard horror stories with bad psu.

Ram I am up in the air also since most people use 1600 speed and that is normally overclocked and I am not sure how that really works. I get the cpu overclock part but not the ram. ?

Only reason for the case is the good reviews and price so not really set on that unless I get a more infromed choice.

Mobo is up in the air also, the one above seems good but not to sure there are many in that same family and I want to make sure I am on the right track. I could go with the P67 series but then I will have to add a graphics card and I do not really use my machine for gaming (Xbox,PS, and Wii for that) but wonder if I should still go that route just in case. (any thoughts?)

Would like to use a ssd to load the OS only but haven't really dug into that yet so hence the ?. How small do you think I could get away with 20gb-40gb? they are still pricey and would like to minimize as much as possible

As you may tell I am still researching a lot of this and just want as much input as possible before I finally commit to the final build specs. I am probably a month or so out from the final so I have plenty of time to absorb all that is thrown at me.

Thanks in advance

 

[rajaawad23]

hi there, before you choose your parts you must choose or set you usage for it, e.g. photo editing, multimedia, web use?

 

[tonksnacher]

Mainly Web Use, multimedia (streaming), some app development (still in the learning process there but will be using more regularly as I continue)

 

[rajaawad23]

what country are you buying from and what is your spend limit

 

[tonksnacher]

Buying from the US, and want to try and stay within $500-700 somewhere.

 

[Raidur]

If you don't have any CPU intensive tasks you could go for an i3 2100 and put more money into a SSD for snappiness.

Also, if you plan on overclocking your CPU you will want to go with the P67 chipset instead of motherboard's current H67 (if you are sticking with the 2500k). I believe the i3 would overclock the same if not near, on either chipset.

For RAM overclocking, just match your RAMs rated timings with your timings in BIOS, adjusting voltage within or under spec until fully stable.

Here is a good 500w Corsair PSU for its price. You could get away with a lot less too (quality 400w), especially with no dedicated GPU if you go the H67 route and don't overclock much.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139018&cm_re=corsair_psu-_-17-139-018-_-Product

 

[uniman6699]

hi
i5 2500k is good choice for wat ur looking to do but idk, if u got spear cash left over u may look at the i7 2600 (not k because k editions stand for mainly overclockers and by the sounds of it u dont sound like one)
PSU u should look for something with a 80+ rating on it so may be like Corsair AX750 Gold Power Supply, i recommend this as it its modular PSU giving u more room for airflow inside ur case keeping it quitter plus its 750 watts that keeps ur computer future proof just in case u do decide to upgrade a little l8er on down the track
For ur uses i recommend a good CPU and Ram and definitely for things like multimedia u we will need ram thats at least 1600Mhz so maybe G.Skill F3-12800CL6D-4GBPI its great ram my friend currently uses it
motherboard looks alrite but make sure its theB3 revision
u can buy SSD if u wish but they are expensive and if ur considering Windows 7 getting at least 80gb OCZ Vertex 2 SSD is ideal plus the 1tb for storage
and now cases this usually comes down to personal choice but a good looking case with good air flow is the best case
but i will still recommend u one CoolerMaster CM 690 II Advanced this is a personal favorite great looks and very easy to build in
but most importantly have fun building ur system and best of luck

 

[tonksnacher]

Thanks for the good input. I thought about the i7, but think as it is the i5 is plenty if not more than I need for a while and wanted to save a little on the price. Even the i3 as raidur mentioned is probably enough but I figured I would at least split the difference so it will last me a little longer.

I will check some of the other suggestions. thanks again

 

[tonksnacher]

I will probably go with the P67 board, so any suggestions on a normal to moderate graphics card for it. Like I said I probably won't be gaming on it too much, but I can't discount the kids, and lets face it I'm a gamer (no reason to have all the consoles for just the kids, I am not that nice).

I am thinking something like a gtx 260 or radeon 5570 to start with.

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been moved from the section CPU & Components to section Systems by Mousemonkey

 

[zooted]

I will probably go with the P67 board, so any suggestions on a normal to moderate graphics card for it. Like I said I probably won't be gaming on it too much, but I can't discount the kids, and lets face it I'm a gamer (no reason to have all the consoles for just the kids, I am not that nice).

I am thinking something like a gtx 260 or radeon 5570 to start with.

Depends on how much you are looking to spend on a gpu, for light gaming (not at 1080p) a 5770 is a good cheap choice. If you want to game at 1080p a 6850 or gtx460 is almost the bare minimum.

 

[tonksnacher]

My next question/s

If I used the H67 mobo so I can use the internal graphics, could I add a card later if I decide I need one? (I think I am confusing myself with all the P/H/X etc)

Also:

Can I overclock with an H67? I will not initially but I know I will want to down the road once I understand it better, but then again I am trying to save where I can.

Thanks again

 

[tonksnacher]

Ok after some more research I think I have narrowed things down slightly and would like some opinions:

Intel i5 2500k
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

MSI P67 (Just really based on price, I am trying to compare them around this range and they all look pretty much the same unless I am mistaken.)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130582


Seasonic 620w PSU 80+ Bronze (620W due to price just about the same as 520)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151095


Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB (Based on recommendations here)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185


Radeon 5570 (not really a hardcore gamer so I do not need a powerful card right now, just want it to be reliable and cheap until the kids get older and I have to bump up to a more powerful card, probably about 1-2 years before that happens)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131342


G-Skill Ripjaws 240pin DDR3 1033 2X 4gb (good deal right now)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231311

Win 7 and Linux

Case (unknown) Still haven't landed on a case yet. I don't really want to go over the 50 ish range so I know I am limited. My main concern for a case is cable management (slightly ocd), adequate cooling and quiet. Don't really care if there are lights or not.


I may or may not OC, but the prices of the standard and K series are too close for me not to go with the K series. (Intel's quality pricing and marketing machine at work).

This is the main machine in the house so it is used in various ways but the main one is internet, multitasking, streaming and downloading video, normal to moderate games not crysis or anything that intensive (think Zoo Tycoon), and I will be doing some app development with both linux/android and visual studios/wp7 (more recreational than profitable). Bottom line is I want speed, speed, and reliability.

I know it is kind of a repeat to my first post, but was getting pushed to page 4 already so I wanted to rework it so I could get some more input.

Thanks again for any help.

 

[tonksnacher]

Two more things I forgot to add:

I have an old analog tv tuner in my HP media center I may try and use if I can find drivers for it, (it is a no name so I have to wait until I open this one up to even bother with it) not a priority but I will use it if I can for tv/cable

I also have the hp card reader I would like to use also. I know they may have proprietary hook ups so I will check that also when the time comes and not worried about cutting wires, etc, but just in case it matters case wise (should be 3.5in, can't tell until I pull it out, has a fancy 5 inch face on it)

Thanks

 

[IntelEnthusiast]

The Intel® Core™ I5 2500K should be a good processor for your needs. Now as far as a SSDs, right now I am using an Intel® Solid-State Drive X25-M 80GB and I find that it wouldn’t want to go any smaller. As a boot drive right now I have Windows 7 Pro, Firefox, Office 2007 and that leaves me with about 28GB of space for games and other software that you want to keep stored on it. So I would advise you to take a look at the Intel Solid-State Drive 320 80GB (SSDSA2CW080G3K5) it should fit your needs very well.

Christian Wood
Intel Enthusiast Team

 

[tonksnacher]

Well here is the final result, parts should be in tomorrow:

CPU - Intel i5 2500K
Mobo - Msi P67A-G45
PSU - Seasonic 620W 80+ Bronze
Ram - 2X 4gb 1600 GSkill
HDD - Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB
GPU - Saphire 5670

Win7 / Linux

all other accessories I will use what I already have til I can afford to replace.

 

[tonksnacher]

Oh and the case is a Rosewill Challenger.

 

[zooted]

That is a very nice psu, however for just a 5670 it is completely overkill. It will provide a great upgrade path for a more beefier gpu if you decided to go for it.

 

[tonksnacher]

Definitely overkill, but I got a good price (only $10 more than the 520w) and I will definitely upgrade the gpu side in about a year or so.