First time - Building Gaming computer - need approval or improvement

[chandanraj]

I am building a gaming computer for the first time.
Need loads of encouragement or advice.
Aim is to keep it a a low budget as wont have much time to play come september.
Intel Core i5 3350P 3.10GHz Socket 1155 6MB Cache Retail Boxed Processor - £136
Gigabyte Z77-DS3H S1155 Intel Z77 DDR3 ATX - £69
G.Skill 8GB Single Channel Memory Kit (1x 8GB, DDR3, 1600MHz, 1.5v, F3-1600C11S-8GNT, XMP Ready £34
Antec GX700 Midi Tower Case £53
Corsair CX750M ATX Modular Power Supply £70
FX-775A-CGF4 - 2GB XFX Radeon HD 7750 Ghost Thermal Technology, 1300MHz GDDR3, 28nm, GPU 800MHz, 512 Cores, +Free FarCry3 £68
Have own OS and Hard disc from old computer
Please advice or suggest improvement.
Thanks in advance.

 

[johnvonmacz]

I am building a gaming computer for the first time.
Need loads of encouragement or advice.
Aim is to keep it a a low budget as wont have much time to play come september.
Intel Core i5 3350P 3.10GHz Socket 1155 6MB Cache Retail Boxed Processor - £136
Gigabyte Z77-DS3H S1155 Intel Z77 DDR3 ATX - £69
G.Skill 8GB Single Channel Memory Kit (1x 8GB, DDR3, 1600MHz, 1.5v, F3-1600C11S-8GNT, XMP Ready £34
Antec GX700 Midi Tower Case £53
Corsair CX750M ATX Modular Power Supply £70
FX-775A-CGF4 - 2GB XFX Radeon HD 7750 Ghost Thermal Technology, 1300MHz GDDR3, 28nm, GPU 800MHz, 512 Cores, +Free FarCry3 £68
Have own OS and Hard disc from old computer
Please advice or suggest improvement.
Thanks in advance.

Change the Z77 mobo to a H77 board as you're not overclocking. Change the ram to a dual channel one (2 sticks) then you're good to roll.

 

[JRAtk94]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£167.99 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4-M Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard (£84.93 @ Ebuyer)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£52.10 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card (£149.99 @ Novatech)
Case: Cooler Master NSE-200-KKN1 MicroATX Mid Tower Case (£33.24 @ Dabs)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply (£49.86 @ Scan.co.uk)
Total: £538.11

Can your budget stretch this far?

If you're not overclocking, the 3570k can be swapped for 3570, and motherboard for H77 - this'll save some dollar also.

 

[rwayne]

Far as encouragement or advice...

This is not as big of a deal as most people make it out to be. You only have 8 basic parts to assemble. Building a model airplane would be more difficult. I think most people get stressed because they have little or no prior experience for an endeavor which costs several hundred dollars.

If you look at it as 8 basic parts everything instantly becomes simpler. The biggest thing is compatibility and the forum can assist you with that. The second thing is to identify the better brands and which parts will yield the greatest bang for the buck. (The forum can help you with that too.)

Check out PC Gamer or Maximum PC magazine. They typically publish tutorials quarterly on how to build computers. There are also several video guides on youtube.

Far as tips I would check out this article from Computer Shopper. I have found it very helpful over the years:
http://www.computershopper.com/feature/75-pc-building-tips

All of the veterans on this forum had their first time building a PC also. So we all know what the initial build is like and the thoughts and fears surrounding it.

Take it 1 step at a time and take a 15 minute break every 45 minutes whether you feel you need one or not and I think you will do just fine.

It is a very rewarding experience and I have enjoyed every single build I have made over the past 10 years.

Best wishes

 

[ElMoIsEviL]

CPU
AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor
CPU Cooler
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler
Motherboard
Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard
Memory
G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory
Video Card
XFX Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card
Case
Antec GX700 ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply
Thermaltake Tough Power 550W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply
US: http://pcpartpicker.com/user/ElMoIsEviL/saved/1Xdk
UK: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/user/ElMoIsEviL/saved/1Xdk