- Jan 28, 2014
- 25
- 0
- 10,530
This is the build I have so far:
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Judas2021/saved/3A3u
I chose the AMD FX 6300 because I felt it was an honest assessment of what I wanted which is a high mid-level CPU that could hold its own while overclocked, and also didn't break the bank.
The CPU cooler was really just a best guess compared to popular reviews and a seemingly reasonable price. I don't even know if it will fit with all the components I've selected into that case or if I even need it.
The MOBO was also really just a stab in the dark. It seemed that I had to choose between the 970 and the 990 based on whether I wanted SATA III capability, SLI, and Crossfire. I don't really want any of these things and I only plan to use one GPU so no need for SLI and CF right? In the end, the 970 was cheaper, and despite the warnings about BIOS with the Vishera CPU, many people found the Asus M5A97 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard compatible with the AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor on several reviews and Tom's articles I read.
The memory was chosen based on articles I read and videos I watched that said 16Gb may be a little excessive since I don't plan to do video/audio editing/rendering. It seemed that 8Gb was a solid place for my needs. However, the fact that I chose the DDR3-1600 240-pin DIMM was almost arbitrary and pretty much came down to cost. I don't know what a DDR3-1833 does better or whether either of them are totally compatible with the other components I chose. Help?
I chose the Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk because I really do value the speed of booting up applications and start-up. I watched a few videos showing two side by side computers, one with SDD and one with HDD, and I was sold on the SDD. As far as additional storage goes, I have a 1Tb Western Digital external HD with USB3 that I will probably have plugged into the back of the PC at all times for any of my big storage needs.
I chose the EVGA GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card for about the same reason I chose the FX-6300. It seemed to be upper middle-class and was over $100 cheaper than what I assume is the next step up (660ti, 760, 770). I chose EVGA because I've heard the name before and thought of it as a reputable company. I'm really only looking to play games like Guild Wars 2, Skyrim, and Wildstar etc. (notice no Crysis 2 or BF4 maxxxxxed out settings). I'm not that dedicated of an enthusiast and I'm on a budget. Is the 760/770 upgrade worth it?
The Zalman ZM-Z9 U3 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case looked basic and useful with 4 usb slots up front, and a neat digital thermometer. I'm embarrassed but I don't know if those USBs work right away as long as they have a power source or how they're connected to the rest of the components. I know there are USB slots in the back that are part of the MOBO but that is the extent of my knowledge. Any help here? I'm also a little worried since this is my first time that the components won't fit. How can I even know this based on pictures online? I'm concerned about the CPU cooler too since it looks a little boxy.
The Estimated Wattage on partpicker read 329W. I went with the Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply for room in case I added some HDD later or something like that. I've also read to always at least get the 80+ Bronze Certified. I don't know what Semi-Modular means or if this is enough or if it will fit. That's why I'm here.
The Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer was cheap and I don't have any Blu-rays so I went with the basic here.
Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) is something I wanted to try and its only like $10 more than 7 and I heard good things about it.
So that's it. That is my journey thus far. I feel like I learned a lot, but I also feel a little overwhelmed that scared I may unknowingly be making awful mistakes. Any critiques on my thought process or decisions on choosing components or anything like that please feel free to let me know.
Thank all you geniuses out there,
Judas
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Judas2021/saved/3A3u
I chose the AMD FX 6300 because I felt it was an honest assessment of what I wanted which is a high mid-level CPU that could hold its own while overclocked, and also didn't break the bank.
The CPU cooler was really just a best guess compared to popular reviews and a seemingly reasonable price. I don't even know if it will fit with all the components I've selected into that case or if I even need it.
The MOBO was also really just a stab in the dark. It seemed that I had to choose between the 970 and the 990 based on whether I wanted SATA III capability, SLI, and Crossfire. I don't really want any of these things and I only plan to use one GPU so no need for SLI and CF right? In the end, the 970 was cheaper, and despite the warnings about BIOS with the Vishera CPU, many people found the Asus M5A97 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard compatible with the AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor on several reviews and Tom's articles I read.
The memory was chosen based on articles I read and videos I watched that said 16Gb may be a little excessive since I don't plan to do video/audio editing/rendering. It seemed that 8Gb was a solid place for my needs. However, the fact that I chose the DDR3-1600 240-pin DIMM was almost arbitrary and pretty much came down to cost. I don't know what a DDR3-1833 does better or whether either of them are totally compatible with the other components I chose. Help?
I chose the Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk because I really do value the speed of booting up applications and start-up. I watched a few videos showing two side by side computers, one with SDD and one with HDD, and I was sold on the SDD. As far as additional storage goes, I have a 1Tb Western Digital external HD with USB3 that I will probably have plugged into the back of the PC at all times for any of my big storage needs.
I chose the EVGA GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card for about the same reason I chose the FX-6300. It seemed to be upper middle-class and was over $100 cheaper than what I assume is the next step up (660ti, 760, 770). I chose EVGA because I've heard the name before and thought of it as a reputable company. I'm really only looking to play games like Guild Wars 2, Skyrim, and Wildstar etc. (notice no Crysis 2 or BF4 maxxxxxed out settings). I'm not that dedicated of an enthusiast and I'm on a budget. Is the 760/770 upgrade worth it?
The Zalman ZM-Z9 U3 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case looked basic and useful with 4 usb slots up front, and a neat digital thermometer. I'm embarrassed but I don't know if those USBs work right away as long as they have a power source or how they're connected to the rest of the components. I know there are USB slots in the back that are part of the MOBO but that is the extent of my knowledge. Any help here? I'm also a little worried since this is my first time that the components won't fit. How can I even know this based on pictures online? I'm concerned about the CPU cooler too since it looks a little boxy.
The Estimated Wattage on partpicker read 329W. I went with the Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply for room in case I added some HDD later or something like that. I've also read to always at least get the 80+ Bronze Certified. I don't know what Semi-Modular means or if this is enough or if it will fit. That's why I'm here.
The Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer was cheap and I don't have any Blu-rays so I went with the basic here.
Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) is something I wanted to try and its only like $10 more than 7 and I heard good things about it.
So that's it. That is my journey thus far. I feel like I learned a lot, but I also feel a little overwhelmed that scared I may unknowingly be making awful mistakes. Any critiques on my thought process or decisions on choosing components or anything like that please feel free to let me know.
Thank all you geniuses out there,
Judas
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram